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Cassie Rosch

April 14, 2009 - Alternative Spring Break

I have the privilege of working in the SLiCE office, which offers students opportunities to expand their knowledge about themselves, issues of diversity, and clarify their values and ethics in the greater context of leadership development. One of the great programs within this office is Alternative Spring Break. These are week-long service trips in which students are immersed in different cultural, environmental and socioeconomic communities in both the United States and around the world. Along with my co-site leader, Sarah Stephens, we led a group of students to the border of Somerton, Arizona, and San Luis, Sonora, Mexico. The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church immigration shelter and an incredibly hospitable couple, Silvia and Emilio, graciously hosted us.

The first day we were in Somerton, Arizona, we attended a Spanish Mass in the Catholic Church that was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Prior to the start of mass, the youth group hosted a breakfast for us where we dined on homemade menudo, a traditional Mexican soup. We were able to talk with young people in the Somerton community about high school, going to college, and all of the "drama" that surrounds the teenage years. All of the students went to English-only speaking schools and often came home to Spanish-only speaking homes. Many of the young people explained how that created an interesting and challenging learning environment growing up.

After church, Silvia navigated us 10 miles south to the border town San Luis, Arizona. She took us to Friendship Park, a small grassy area on the United States side of the border where she explained how the "crossing" process worked for thousands of people everyday who walk, bike and drive into the United States. She shared with us how she crossed the border in 1978 and was able to point out the exact spot in the fence where she went through. She worked in the United States for ten years and then received amnesty in 1988, at which time she became a documented American citizen. She explained to us the life of a farm worker and how it was a relentless and physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting task. Standing at the border with Silvia was a very sacred experience for me, and I was surprised at how emotional I became. The land seemed almost "holy" to me. So many people had lost their lives, often unjustly, searching for a better life. Most of our group was silenced by an overwhelming sense of emotional turmoil.

After visiting the border, Silvia took us to Cesar Chavez's home, where he lived until 1993 when he died unexpectedly in his sleep. I learned about his courage, leadership, and activism through the eyes of someone whose life and community had been changed forever by his political and social work. Later that night, Ruben Reyes, a man who approached our group after mass, came to the shelter to share his story of working with Cesar. He was a part of the United Farm Workers movement and marched alongside Cesar Chavez with his wife. He spoke very poetically about his ambitions for his children saying, "It was my dream that the child of a farm worker could attend college." His dream came true when all three of his children obtained undergraduate degrees and went on to earn other degrees in higher education. He said something that will always stick with me: "It wasn't an elegant life, but it was a good one." He explained the importance of family and community and how (in the end) those are the only things that remain. Later in the week Ruben and his wife hosted us at their home for an incredible feast where we heard more stories about life on the border from the both of them and their daughter, Norma. I felt like I was a part of the Reyes family; they opened up their home and their hearts and trusted us with their stories, memories, and lives. It was incredibly humbling and put much of the "work" we had been doing into perspective.

After dinner with the Reyes family we attended the Youth Group gathering at the church, where over 60 young people came together to dance, laugh and celebrate life with one another. We participated in re-enactment of scripture, prayer, and dancing and endless laughter. Unfortunately, some of us were even caught on video. We sat in small groups learning about each other and everyone was so interested in what Colorado looked like and how different it was from Somerton. We learned from each other and had lots of time to hear stories and share our experiences coming from all different places around the state, country, and world. We were singing a closing song and Jose, a young leader in the church, told us to look to the left and right — we put our arms around each other and he said, "Now we are all family and you always have a family here for you." The hospitality was incredible, our group had done nothing to deserve the kindness and love they exuded towards us, but they gave it so freely and without question. Following youth group we found ourselves in the parking lot learning salsa while music blared out of the back of Jose's car.

The service part of our trip was working with Regional Center for Border Health. We had the opportunity to work in the San Luis Walk Inn Clinic, a rehabilitation center and a café that employs survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Many of us brushed up on our filing skills, learned lots of new Spanish, and got a glimpse into the medical profession. While this wasn’t my favorite part of the trip, it definitely had an educational addition to our trip.

While this blog can never begin to explain how much I learned over the 7 days we were in Arizona and across the southwest, it definitely highlights some of the great memories I had.

February 27, 2009

A little about Cassie...

My name is Cassie Rosch, and I am a senior studying Sociology and Women's Studies here at CSU. I graduated from Arrowhead High School, located in a small town in southeastern Wisconsin named Hartland, in 2005.

I work in the SLiCE (Student Leadership Involvement and Community Engagement) Office coordinating the program CSU-Serves and at the Campus Information Center in the Lory Student Center. I am the president and founder of the student organization, Acting on AIDS. Additionally, I am passionate about social justice and gender issues, and I work as a peer educator for Student Alliance for Gendered Education. I am a site leader for the upcoming alternative spring break trip to Yuma, Arizona, working with border health and immigration reform. I am passionate about my friends, family, photography, and social change and renewal.

With college almost over, what's next?

It's hard to believe we are in the sixth week of the spring semester, and that I am 53 school days away from dawning a cap and gown once again and beginning a brand new phase in my life. The question, "So what are you doing after graduation?" absorbs every conversation of every social interaction I have had over the past six weeks. It brings with it a sense of urgency to decide on the course of my "future." This yields self-doubt and reflection with each "you are not the right fit for our company" e-mail I receive.

Honestly, I've only been rejected once on this journey towards a "future," bringing forth the realization of the privilege I have had throughout my life. Most (if not all) of the jobs, positions, scholarships, and internships I have wanted were attainable. I never doubted my abilities or my qualifications, until now. I guess this is just the first step into the real world, into finding my fit and into learning how to lose, without being a loser.

Check back soon to hear more from Cassie about her future plans and her CSU adventures!