Uribe 1
Kyla Uribe
Professor Encinias
CAS 115
30 September 2023
Community Event #1: Student Showcase - La Ceiba
On Wednesday, September 27th, I had the opportunity of attending the first event held by the
Department of Central American & Transborder Studies this semester. The showcase was being held at
Sierra Hall 451 from 5-7 p.m. Being at this juncture, I would truly call this more of a celebration. It was
the first in many years that “La Ceiba”, a journal filled with poetries, essays, and photography that
expresses Central American students’ individualistic selves was printed. Kristen Cintigo, one of the
editors of “La Ceiba” described it as a way of “helping students be the voice of their thoughts and
ideas.”
We were able to get a copy of “La Ceiba.” Skimming through the pieces made me feel many
mixed emotions. It made me feel proud, inspired, sad, empathetic, nostalgic, and knowledgeable. It
made me understand that even though some of us come from the same country, same state, and even the
same city we all have different journeys and different struggles that we had to go through to get to where
we are today. Reading some of these essays and poems allowed me to be more understanding and more
empathetic because everyone's story is different from mine. It was very moving knowing that the dean
of the College of Humanities, Jeffery Reeder was there for the celebration of “La Ceiba” as well as
delivered some heartfelt words to the contributors and editors of the journal. It revealed that he values
and appreciates the Central American community. I asked him his thoughts on “La Ceiba” and how this
shows pride within the College of Humanities. Reeder described that “this journal is a source of extreme
pride, there are two reasons, one its housed in and coming out of the only course in the united states at a
CSU institution, the other thing is a journal as you know has layers which means there have been many
sacrifices in how this came to be” he goes on to state that “this [journal] represents teamwork,
compassion, and hard work.” This sense of pride and joy that the dean exerted when interviewing him
showed me that this day was memorable. This was a day where Central Americans could come together
and be able to share their opinion, thoughts, ideas, and stories in a way where everyone could listen to
them. Just like a personal diary is a way of expressing one's own identity, this is their diary, the “La
Ceiba”. It serves as a way to connect and embody the Central American community to the world.
The other half of the showcase described what Central American studies is and the
classes/courses that are taken to get the bachelor's and Master's degrees. What I found fascinating was
that “there are 300 students with a B.A. in CAS since 2008 and more than 29,000 students have taken a
class in the course” (Professor Marcelo). I’ve always been super interested in other cultures and
identities, as of right now I am taking both a Central American and Asian American class. I’ve been
thinking of minoring in at least one cultural study next year, as a backup plan because I’m super
passionate about connecting with others on a different level, whether that be emotionally, culturally, or
mentally. I love learning and understanding other cultures because it allows me to have more meaningful
interactions with individuals. I believe that I had some meaningful interactions with the dean and some
of the student contributors of “La Ceiba.”
Overall, going to this student showcase has opened my eyes to what Central American studies is
and who the individuals who are a part of this community are. I got to see through the lens of other
students and their life experiences and struggles that they had to go through growing up in society today.
I would definitely follow the journey of “La Ceiba” and get a copy of a second edition if they decide to
create another.
