HSI Stories
Dr. Calleja-Macias
This is Itzel Calleja-Macias
When walking into her office, we find Itzel laughing and helping two Biology majors prepare for their first Fall Semester exam. She was wearing a floral embroidered blouse and had churros ready to eat in the middle of her desk in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. The festive ensemble seemed inviting to students and faculty, which we later found was so indicative of her fun spirit.
Itzel was born and raised in the southeastern region of Veracruz Mexico, the capital, called Xalapa, a relatively small town known for its lush tropical vegetation. This is also where Itzel grew up with her grandparents and two younger sisters. She leans in saying, " I grew up in a very loving home and my grandma was always making good food for us." She continues reflecting, " It (Veracruz) was where I went to high school and finished my education until I was 23 years old." Eventually, Itzel would move north to, Monterrey, an industrial mountain town, where she got her Master's in genetic engineering and Ph.D. in molecular biology from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. She would also meet her husband there. His name is Jorge and he currently works helping with Alzheimer's at U.C.I.
While completing her Ph.D., her P.I, short for Principle Investigator, told Itzel she would be continuing her research in the United States. Although she did not realize at the time, this would be her first step in her immigration story. After leaving her homestead, Itzel started working in research at University California Irvine, under a J-1 status or work visa. She continues to look back on her experience and transition in acclimating to American life, " You know, it was a very scary time and I had to sacrifice a lot. I did not have family here and it was scary knowing my that my life could change at any moment (depending on status)," Itzel continues, " I was newly married then and knew I wanted to eventually start a life here for my family."
Despite Itzel's parent's established careers in the science field in Mexico and the United States. Her mom, Laura, being a chemist in Mexico, and her Dad, Roberto, a Medical Doctor in Texas. Itzel made the decision and effort to settle in Southern California.
In 2006, the Mexican government declared war on drug trafficking syndicates known today as, Cartels. As a result of the sale of the illicit drug market, violence and corruption have been an ongoing issue for the government threatening the safety of innocent lives and local businesses, which is a very frightening environment to be in especially to ordinary folk who are trying to make a living. Like many other immigrants before her, Itzel carries the torch as she continues writing her story as a soon to be American citizen. She is proud to embrace the traditions of those before her that helped mold her view of the greater world she sees, but at the same time, she can now be in a place to create stories for her and her children. Itzel has two kids, Alexander, who is 14 and Mia, who is ten.
In winter 2016, Itzel went online and found that VU was hiring for a Bridge Coordinator position but was later told that she was overqualified with her graduate education. Although at the time, Itzel was eager to find a different job, God had bigger plans for her. Dr. Sirvent, Dean of Natural Sciences, asked if she wanted to come on board as an Adjunct Professor.
Today, she continues to teach full-time on campus as an Assistant Professor of Biology. When she is not working, she enjoys hosting friends at her house and going sightseeing in Newport Beach with her husband.
Vanguard University is so grateful for Itzel and the joy she brings inside the classroom.
#WeAreVU
Jose Rojas
Tale of Jose Rojas
Tale of José Rojas: How an Orange County kid kept the faith and made the Angels roster: Los Angeles Times
Every time Rob Pegg sees a newspaper article about one of his favorite former players, the Vanguard University baseball coach clips it out and hangs it in his team’s dugout.
Lately, José Rojas has given him a lot of material.
It’s been five years since Rojas played his last game for Pegg’s team at Vanguard University, five years the Angels infielder has spent working for this moment — playing his first MLB Season as a 28-year-old rookie.
But Pegg likes to use Rojas’ legacy as an example to his current players: about the value of hard work; the importance of sound fundamentals; how to navigate the long road toward the big leagues; and, perhaps most importantly, about how to keep believing in a dream.
“He’s such a humble guy, and hard-working,” Pegg said. “He’s just the model of what people should be.”
Even before Rojas made his MLB debut last Friday, or his first big league start Tuesday, many Angels fans were already enamored with his story: an Anaheim native now playing for his favorite childhood team, a player who overcame the odds as a 36th-round draft pick who spent a half-decade in the minors.
He’s been asked a lot over the years if he ever doubted whether this opportunity would come, if he ever thought his dream might not be realized. Pressed on it again recently, Rojas needed only a few seconds to reply.
“I always fall back on my faith with that question,” he said. “My answer is simple: My faith in Christ, and having that belief deep down that I can do it, no matter what’s in front of me. The odds might be against me, but I believe that when you have faith, anything can happen. And here we are.”
The Wiffle Ball rules of Rojas’ childhood were simple.
Almost every day after school, he and his younger brother, Fernando, would go out to their front yard with only a bat and a ball. One of them would hit. The other would pitch. There was only one way to switch: Strike the batter out.
Recalling those days recently, Fernando began to laugh.
“I spent most of the time pitching,” he said. “Because I couldn’t get him out.”
For as long as Rojas can remember, a career in baseball has been his goal. And ever since he began playing, the Angels have been his favorite team.
“We would have an ‘Angels Day’ where our entire Little League would come out to [Angel Stadium] and walk around the warning track,” Rojas recalled. “Seeing that this was the highest level and it was an actual career, I figured, ‘I love it. Why not pursue it?’ ”
It’s exactly what Rojas’ mother, Maria, and father, also named Jose, hoped would happen when they immigrated to Southern California from Mexico more than 30 years ago to start a family. They never wanted any limitations on their four childrens’ dreams.
It wasn’t an easy process. Jose often balanced multiple jobs in landscaping and at restaurants. Maria worked a busy schedule as a nurse at a Los Alamitos hospital. But they were always heavily involved in their kids’ lives too, which in Rojas’ case meant countless baseball games, team meetings and practices over the years.
“He wasn’t a prima donna type guy that thought he was better than other guys. He earned it. Part of that is his upbringing, coming from a blue collar family.” - Vanguard Coach Rob Pegg
“They’re pillars, as I like to call it, in my journey,” Rojas said. “Without them, obviously, who knows if I would be here today.”
The family didn’t have money for private lessons, so Rojas improved his skills in other ways. He studied videos of MLB stars such as Chipper Jones, Mo Vaughn and Garret Anderson, making notes of how to mimic their mechanics. When he made the Anaheim High varsity team, he analyzed the basic scouting reports on each opponent’s pitchers.
“When you have a high school kid that does that,” said his former coach, Dave Torres, “you think it’s something special.”
After high school, Rojas played at Fullerton College, then transferred for his final two years to Vanguard, a NAIA school in Costa Mesa. He became so feared within the team’s conference, as Pegg recalled, that once he was intentionally walked in a playoff game . . . with the bases loaded.
“He wasn’t a prima donna type guy that thought he was better than other guys. He earned it,” Pegg said. “Part of that is his upbringing, coming from a blue-collar family.”
Within that family, Rojas was a role model as well, especially to Fernando, who began high school as Rojas was starting college.
Angels infielder Jose Rojas is congratulated by teammates after scoring during a spring training game against the Kansas City Royals on March 7, 2019.
(Matt York / Associated Press)
“I would see him on varsity in high school, and that’s what I wanted to do,” Fernando said. “He was that fire in me.”
Neither of them knew it yet, but the reverse would soon become true, too.
Fernando didn’t really understand what cancer was until the day his chest got tight.
It happened during a practice at the start of his freshman year of high school in the fall of 2011. He felt unusually tired. He could tell something was wrong.
Doctors discovered Fernando had lymphoma, the disease having spread to his chest, lungs and abdomen. Only 14 years old, he began rounds of chemotherapy that forced him to stay in the hospital for most of the next year.
“There were times I felt done, it was just so difficult on the body and taking a toll on me,” Fernando said. “I was tired of the pain. Just horrible days.”
Rojas was redshirting as a college freshman throughout the ordeal, baseball taking a backseat for one of the first times in his life. He frequently visited the hospital, and talked almost every day with Fernando on the phone. He wore a brave face, but privately struggled to make sense of the turmoil around him.
“It was my first eye-opener,” he said. “I didn’t know how to cope with it.”
“We all go through hardships in life. It all comes down to how you overcome those things.” - Jose Rojas
Fernando was eventually cured, going on to his own accomplished high school and junior college baseball career. Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he even got to meet with Albert Pujols and other Angels players before a 2012 home game — years before they would become Rojas’ future teammates.
But it was the moments when Fernando’s prognosis wasn’t clear, when it was uncertain whether or not his treatments would work, that made the biggest impact on his older brother.
“That’s when I really started seeking my faith, practicing my faith, praying, seeking a spiritual lifestyle,” Rojas said. “It’s a miracle that he was cured from cancer. Given the stakes of his diagnosis, it wasn’t for sure that he was going to be cured. For me, that was like a prayer answered.”
His renewed faith, he said, taught him an important lesson: “We all go through hardships in life. It all comes down to how you overcome those things.”
Torres, who coached Fernando at Anaheim High as well, grew close to the family during the ordeal. He remembers sensing a change in Rojas afterward. A focused conviction that hadn’t been there before. A quiet maturation thrust upon him almost overnight.
“I think it was a time he realized that, ‘I can help my family out by doing something,’ ” Torres said. “And I think he chose baseball to try to do that.”
Before long, his baseball career faced its own tests.
The day he was drafted was a joyous event — Rojas, Fernando, and their father celebrating in their living room when his name popped up as the 1,086th overall pick in 2016.
But once he got to the pros, the infielder faced an uphill climb for playing time. He always swung the bat well, becoming a career .292 minor-league hitter, but struggled to prove himself defensively while serving largely in a designated hitting role behind other priority prospects.
He hit 31 home runs in Triple-A in 2019 and impressed at the Angels’ alternate training site in Long Beach last summer. But he wasn’t called up to majors in either season, and went unselected by the rest of MLB in back-to-back Rule 5 drafts the past two winters.
“It was a slap to the face, a hit to the rib cage,” Fernando said. “But he stayed on track, stayed on the road, grinded it out.”
This is where Rojas credits his self-belief, the ability to forge on when others might have faded.
“It’s a business, beyond our control,” Rojas said. “You get stressed out thinking otherwise.”
So, even though he entered camp this spring looking like a long shot for the roster, he kept refining his swing, kept working on his defense, kept trying to prove to the team’s new front office that he truly belonged.
Then, suddenly, a door opened. Franklin Barreto got hurt. Luis Rengifo was optioned. And Rojas, who had stayed hot throughout the Cactus League and shown improvements at second and third base, was the last man standing for the team’s utility infield spot. Less than a week before opening day, manager Joe Maddon made it official.
“He told me it was about time to give me a shot,” Rojas said with a grin. “I feel ready for it.”
When Rojas made his debut Friday as a ninth-inning pinch-hitter, it didn’t matter that the game was out of reach, or really even that he struck out against Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks.
He had his family in the stadium, crying from the stands. He had old coaches watching on TV, smiling from afar. And he finally had the moment he’d been chasing since forever, saying a prayer as he reflected on a path that taught him to never give up.
#WeAreVU
Making Melodias
guitar melodias
The streets of downtown Santa Ana bustle with street vendors, shop owners, bicycle riders and groups of families and friends. For generations, this region in Orange County—only nine miles north of Vanguard University— has served as a marketplace for Mexican immigrants looking for goods, community, and services to connect them with each other and to their homeland. Amid the hum of commerce, beautiful guitar melodías drift through the air.
Michael Nigro, professor of music at Vanguard, leads his Guitar Ensemble class as they strum on acoustic guitars. Inspired by their surroundings, both in Santa Ana and on campus, Nigro encourages his students to immerse themselves into Latino culture as they play.
“Students are really interested in [Latino] music, so, usually, half of our program is music from Mexico, Venezuela, [or] Argentina,” he said. “It has all the form of classical music, but with the rhythms of Latin-American music, which makes it more exciting for them and for the audience members.”
Nigro is passionate about teaching the cultural and ethnic roots of this kind of guitar playing and his students excitedly receive it—especially students of Latin or Hispanic descent.
Eddie Martinez (junior), a music major, first heard the guitar while attending a Mexican church with his grandparents and now spends his summers in Spain learning Flamenco guitar. Regarding Nigro and his Vanguard experience, Martinez said, “I feel accepted here and supported. Nobody’s denied my aspirations as an artist; they’ve supported me and promoted me through my travels to Spain and other countries.”
Time in Nigro’s class has had a profound impact on Javier Castillo’s (senior) identity and connection to Latino relatives. “It’s part of our heritage, in a way, because everyone from my mother’s side [was] involved in music in one way or another,” he said. “My family [in El Salvador] wasn’t properly trained, but they had a knack for it. They were self-taught and learned all the folk music there.”
Nigro started this ensemble hoping that students would feel the freedom to express their creativity through a musical medium that resonates spiritually, culturally, and creatively. Castillo affirms Nigro’s vision for the class.
"Making music is an incredibly creative process and professor Nigro encourages us to constantly explore that," he said. "Even if it's not a good idea, I just like the process of creating something."
Dr. M. Gil
This is Dr. Magali Gil
Better know as "Mikki," professor of education and anthropology. Her name, Magali, is of Spanish origin and pronounced Ma·ga·li, but she still to my-golly.
Mikki was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the heart of Manhattan in multicultural New York City. Attending an AG Spanish church and AG English church, Mikki learned how to code-switch at a young age. During her teen years, Mikki met Reverend David Wilkerson, founder of Teen Challenge, at Glad Tidings Tabernacl where her involvement with the beginnings of Teen Challenge was life changing. As she was singing in the Teen Challenge Trio at a Spanish AG church, Mikki met Vince Gil and they started a long-distance courtship while finishing their bachelor’s degrees.
At 21, Mikki began her life-long journey as an educator with her first teaching assignment in Harlem, NY. She talks about the civil rights movement and the feminist movement with passion and humility (she was teaching in Harlem when Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated). It was during this time that she knew teaching would be her calling. Today, she talks about the impact that one person can have on a life, reminding us that to “teach is to touch a life forever”.
During the first 25 years of her professional journey, Mikki enjoyed education roles as a high school teacher, assistant principal and principal in both NY and Orange County. At the same time, she was determined to learn as much as she could about people and pursued an MA in Latin American Studies at UCLA, and an MA in Social Science and PhD in Mathematical Social Science from UC Irvine.
In 1995, Mikki was recruited to bring her professional and academic experience to Vanguard to open the first Graduate Program in Education. Her greatest delight is mentoring students through their graduate research. And her commitment to diversity led her to be Vanguard's first liaison to HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) to help Vanguard obtain its HSI designation. She also wrote the first Diversity Framework to WASC, and mentored Latina students to increase minority enrollment. This year she celebrates her 26 years at Vanguard and 53 years as an educator.
As for her hobbies—they all center around nurturing “la familia” and traveling around the world, especially the Caribbean. The Gils are a VU legacy family: Vince, Mikki’s daughters, Debra and Rachel, and her son-in-law, Gary, are all Vanguard alums. Most recently, her granddaughter, Alysha, returned to Vanguard to complete her BA. Her daughters are public school teachers, and both have been selected “Teacher of the Year” by their peers. They all live in Irvine, so family celebrations are full of teacher-talk and delicious food. Mikki’s personal goal is to return to Milan, where she has vouchers waiting at the famous La Scala Opera House, to enjoy Romeo and Juliet (interrupted in 2020 by Covid lockdowns).
Thank you, Dr. Gil, for being an advocate for minority students and building Vanguard’s Graduate Education program into one of the top education programs in Orange County.
#WeAreVU
El Puente Club President - Ashley Ibarra
This is Ashley Ibarra
I'm so excited to be El Puente's club President this year. A little bit about me, I'm a psychology major, I am from the Bay Area, and my favorite thing to do it go salsa dancing. I'm so excited to be working with my amazing Intercultural Student Programs team this year and I'm so excited for everyone to see our amazing cultures and events.
Vanguard University's El Puente serves Hispanic and Latino students by creating safe spaces to share and embrace their cultural heritage. El Puente provides programs and events that celebrate and educate on Hispanic and Latino culture, history and current events impacting VU students of Hispanic and Latino descent.
Upcoming El Puente events:
- Hispanic Heritage Block Party
- Salsa Night
- Cafecito con Pan
- Dinner and Dialogues
Dr. V. Gil
This is Dr. Vince Gil
Professionally, Dr. Vincent Gil is a Cuban-born, American-bred, honored professor and researcher. But to all who’ve known him, he’s Vince Gil, or “Gil”, the latter used by his students as a short moniker for all that he stands for.
His story at Vanguard University is a long one, but it begins in 1975, when he was hired to be a part-time assistant to the then dean, and to jumpstart the sociology and anthropology courses, eventually working both into a combined major. During those early years, Dr. Gil was successful in getting VU funded for Title III’s “Strengthening Developing Institutions” seed grants, which for three years helped to establish the college’s first efforts at institutional long-term planning, functional admissions recruiting, fiscal planning, and student minority engagement.
Dr. Gil went on to develop and get approval for a combined Anthropology-Sociology major, which remained a crucial component of the Social Sciences until its closure in 2016-17. As his time progressed at VU, he undertook two post-doctorates to cement his work in Medical Anthropology and in Human Sexuality. He spent 16 years doing international work on sexually transmitted diseases (HIV especially) in the Caribbean, Mexico, China, Tibet, and Japan. In China, he was the first to introduce novel “rapid testing” for HIV, at a time when the disease was beginning to spread furiously. He now teaches part-time as an Adjunct Professor of Nursing and serves as Professor Emeritus, providing our students with his wealth of experience and academia at VU for the past 45 years.
Having left a legacy of teaching excellence behind, he is passionate about recognizing how teachers come across to students in the classroom and how they can learn to better engage their learners. He has recently contributed to this discussion through VU’s Institute for Faculty Development (IFD). Through IFD videos, Vince speaks to several approaches he believes can help faculty better engage their students, including a better understanding of who their audience is, and finding creative ways to gain their attention. He trusts that this will create more memorable impressions in the learning process, as well as make the classroom more comfortable, so that students can engage freely their views, especially with uncomfortable topics.
"In the early days of my teaching, (I was 30 years old and just out of a PhD), I noticed that I was not coming off very well. We don't really get taught how to teach when we're in grad school. I was so high on academic language that I was using words which were way out of their league. I realized then that I need to understand my audience better, and modulate my language."
Through this experience, Dr. Gil found that self-reflecting was important and taking inventory of the language being used was critical. He believes in the importance of establishing a culture and language in the classroom that is comfortable, and thus enables the addressing of issues comfortably. Otherwise, it’s difficult to address if the classroom lacks the appropriate comfort level for students to engage.
Recently, Dr. Gil has completed his much-anticipated book, “A Christian's Guide through the Gender Revolution: Gender, Cisgender, Transgender and Intersex.” The work is published by Cascade Books, a division of Wipf & Stock Publishers, and was released spring 2021. The book's synopsis is as follows:
Contemporary gender issues and questions about gender challenge views of ourselves and the proverbial other. In this meticulously researched, well written, and illuminating guide, Vincent (Vince) Gil, PhD, provides needed information to understand elements involved in gender identity conflicts and intersexuality. At the heart of the matter are people—real lives—not just social or theological issues. Drawing on histories culled from his many years as counselor, professor, and researcher, Vince Gil moves us through an unpacking of gender and identity, issues of conflict, and of reconciliation. He distinguishes biological and psychological elements from social issues, and addresses the current movement of gender individuation, its language idioms, influences on gender ideology and theology. A Christian’s Guide through the Gender Revolution: Gender, Cisgender, Transgender & Intersex also provides an engaging theological discourse, filling gaps in our understanding of procreation to better inform our theology of being. The work assists Christian parents, clergy, and lay leaders by working through the tough questions. It suggests means to engage, counsel, support, and reconcile with those gender questioning or conflicted, be they children, adolescents, or adults. Learning more and loving more, this work helps us move through the gender gauntlet while underscoring what it means to be an image bearer of Christ’s love.
We are so thankful for Dr. Gil’s lifetime of work being a professor and researcher; but most of all for providing a safe space for students to learn more about human sexuality in and out of the classroom. Please make sure to check out his new book available now!
#WeAreVU
Dr. Casarez
This is Tommy Casarez
He is a fifth-generation Mexican American and a first-generation Christian, who was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, where he attended Sunset High School under the housing of a single mother.
His father also named Tommy Casarez, was present for the first three or four years since his son Tommy was born, and unfortunately would move on to start another family, leaving his mother home to raise five children on her own in government-subsidized housing, also commonly referred to as projects today, in an inner-city neighborhood called Oak Cliff.
We find Tommy sitting in his office on the second floor of Heath which overlooks the music, theatre, and natural science buildings. He was sitting stylishly with a light gray fedora felt dress hat and a Maya blue oxford shirt. He gazes out the window recalling his time in Oak Cliff, " It's a pretty rough neighborhood. Before I found my faith, I used to go out and make sure I was home before 12:30 (AM) because I wanted to miss the gun shootings," he continues saying, "I never knew you could get evicted from government housing until my family and I got kicked out three times."
Tommy's biological Dad did not attend college and was a cotton picker in the heat of the Texas sun but would later volunteer for the Army during the Vietnam war. At the end of his career, he would receive a purple heart for his sacrifice and service then later close his time in the military as a Drill Sergeant. While, his Mom, Carmen, provided for her family by working as an assembly factory manager.
Growing up, Tommy was surrounded by a full house with four other siblings. Him being the second youngest of five children, having a younger sister, Melissa or, "Missy" as they refer her to, one older sister, Marina and two older brothers, Michael, and his eldest, Albert. In high school, Tommy was active playing football and soccer. He was an outside linebacker, or "strongside" in football and played as a forward in soccer. When Tommy was 16, his family was unreligious, until his Mom eventually came to love the Lord, by getting invited to church by her El Salvadorian friend, Blanca.
Tommy would eventually come to his faith by hearing Bible verses and stories while his mom invited him to the kitchen to help make homemade tortillas. They would eat tortillas con mantequilla which translates to tortillas with butter. After hearing about the Bible, Tommy would eventually go to his Mom's church. One day, while hearing the message, God spoke into Tommy's heart, and radically changed his life at an altar call, " It was the most the surreal experience I have ever had and I think I cried enough tears to cover the water usage for the church." He jokes and continues, " But ever since then, I gave my life to the Lord and never looked back."
After graduating high school, Tommy attended the University of North Texas for a year studying History and Political Science but later would delay his undergraduate education and go to a bible university called, Christ for the Nations, for a year. After, he would serve as a Youth Pastor at Kings Cathedral Church in Kahalui, Maui where he would help oversee a hundred or so young adults in their walk with the Lord. At the end of that year, Tommy would hear about Vanguard University from his fellow peers on the island and commit to finishing his undergraduate in History. In 1994, Tommy graduated with his undergraduate after spending two and a half years as a transfer student.
Despite the high cost of education, Tommy would stay local and get a Master's of divinity at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, Los Angeles, then received a Master's of Sacred Theology at Yale University Divinity School and finally would finish with his, Ph.D. in Theological Ethics in Princeton Theological Seminary. Tommy mentions some advice from a former mentor named, Chris Davis, who was a church planter that encouraged him in his education along the way, " If this is God's calling in your life then don't let finances get in the way." Davis advised, " There is an element of taking that leap of faith and trusting in the Lord," which Tommy ultimately found was the right direction for his life
Today, he works on campus as an Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology and happily married to Asenath Casarez, who was recently hired at VU in August as a Worship Pastor and have been married for 19 years. They met a Templo Calvario Church in Santa Ana and currently have three children; Josiah, Isabella, and Tabetha.
When Tommy has a little bit of downtime, he enjoys spending time with his family, they like biking around the local pier with their tandem bike and beach cruisers in Huntington Beach with their dog, who is a 25-pound two-year-old labradoodle, his name is Bandit. They call him Bandit because he has a small black furry spot over his eye. Tommy also enjoys hearing stories whether that is in a movie format, talking to his life group from Church or hearing God's word. He explains, "Stories shape our character, like narrative theology, it informs our faith and provides a background and horizon to our existence in directing our lives," he continues, "There is a push and pull effect that inspires and compels us to do something. It's (stories) pretty powerful." Tommy's favorite movie is Marvel's Avengers Endgame and enjoys eating all things carne asada (grilled sliced beef).
Vanguard University is thankful for Tommy's journey and his timeless faith in the Lord.
#WeAreVU
Vanguard HSI @ a glance
ABCs of El Salvador
PBS SOCAL: The Book "ABCs of El Salvador"
PBS SOCAL: The Book 'ABCs of El Salvador' Expands Cultural Horizons, One Letter at a Time
Maggie Carranza’s family introduced El Salvador to friends of different cultures who were unfamiliar with the country. Years later, she turned that love of her heritage into the book “The ABCs of El Salvador” so everyone can learn favorite Salvadoran words like pupusa and atol. She shares how it all happened, why it's important to foster cultural curiosity in kids, plus some of her favorite books.
In the ABCs of Maggie Carranza's childhood, the letter "P" stood for pupusa parties.
As one of the only Salvadoran families in Mission Viejo, the Carranza home often served as a bridge to El Salvador for friends of different cultures who were unfamiliar with the Central American country. Guests delighted in traditional Salvadoran treats, including cheese-stuffed pupusas topped with a pickled cabbage curtido, ensalada fruit drinks, and sweet quesadilla cake for dessert. Breaking bread — or in this case, tearing open cheesy pupusas — offered a common ground for the Carranzas to share their world while learning about others.
"We would be the first ones to introduce them to the culture," Caranza said. "That was a really fun thing growing up."
This sense of curiosity and cultural pride followed the artist into adulthood and led her down an unexpected path to publish her first book, "ABCs of El Salvador." The colorful board book offers a beautiful illustration for every letter of the alphabet and its related Salvadoran word: "A" is for atol, a cornstarch-based hot drink, "B" is for bichos, slang for kids; and "C" is for charamuscas, frozen slushie drinks in plastic bags. Each page of the book is a window into El Salvador, its colloquialisms and its culture for young beginners and nostalgic experts alike.
"As a bicultural, first-generation kid, I just wanted to bring honor to my parents, my family and my culture," she said.
Carranza drew from her childhood experiences for the book and said she hopes it can inspire others to embrace their differences. Her first visit to El Salvador was at 6 years old, and she flew back once a year whenever the family could afford the trip. She's grateful she had the opportunity to connect with her roots there and share her experiences with friends here in the U.S.
"Learning from my parents, they would always make it a point, 'You need to not be in a bubble. Expand your horizons and talk to other people, and learn from them," she said.
"ABCs of El Salvador" did not begin as a children's book. In fact, the project did not begin as a book at all. After earning her marketing degree from Vanguard University, Carranza scratched a creative itch by taking graphic design classes as a hobby. In June 2019, she illustrated "P is for Pupusa."
She said she remembers thinking, "Oh, this is fun! I can create a couple more letters."
Now she laughs and gives a "shoutout to the fam" for nudging her to finish the alphabet. She completed an illustration for each letter by September 2019 and began exploring what it would take to turn the project into a published book.
"Google was my best friend," she said. "How do I publish a book? How do I publish my own stuff? How do I print a book?"
Carranza decided to self-publish in a durable board book format. By November 2019, she printed her first 500 copies of "ABCs of El Salvador." While she initially envisioned it as "a picture book for anyone," many clients have purchased it for children.
"Some people buy it because they have kids, or for their future kids, or their friends' kids," she said. "Some people buy it, and they're like, 'I don't have kids, but I just want it on my coffee table.' They just want to have a collection of things from the country to share with others."
She found significant support in the Salvadoran community on Instagram, where she gained a following for her illustrations and related products on her Etsy shop.
"I'm so appreciative and humbled," she said. "I love seeing how [the book] has impacted so many people and brought a little piece of home to them."
As an aunt to three nieces and one nephew, all under 7 years old, Carranza encourages parents to talk to their children about racism and other social issues in a developmentally-appropriate way. In addition to using books like her own as tools to discuss different cultures, she recommends the "Sesame Street" initiative on racial justice to help teach kids about the issue. Also, she recommends families try new restaurants and visit cultural neighborhoods with their kids, where they can discuss different flavors, different decorations and different traditions.
This sentiment carried into "ABCs of El Salvador," from cover to cover. The book closes with a prompt for readers that embodies Carranza's cultural curiosity.
"Embrace your heritage.
Share it with friends.
Love those who are different than you."
"They're never too young to understand these things ... Tell them the realities but also tell them how they can be the change," she said, "Instead of ignoring it, and then they become adults who don't know how to handle these conversations."
Carranza also supports exploring these topics among adults.
"Don't be scared to have a conversation with people," Carranza said. "Sometimes, things are hard to talk about. This last year we all learned how hard it is to bring up conversations about racism and inequality… but it's better than just ignoring what's going on."
Maggie Carranza's Cultural Book Picks
Carranza handpicked the books below to help families cultivate the cultural curiosity that shaped her childhood.
"For the Love of Plátanos" (Ages 0-6)
Written by Natalie Carey and illustrated by Bianca Guerrero
"Round is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes" (Ages 3-5)
Written by Roseanne Thong and illustrated by John Parra
"Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors" (Ages 3-5)
Written by Roseanne Thong and illustrated by John Parra
"Too Many Tamales / "¡Qué montón de tamales!" (Ages 4-8)
Written by Gary Soto and illustrated by Ed Martinez. Translated by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada
"Islandborn" (Ages 5-8)
Written by Junot Díaz and illustrated by Leo Espinoza
"Waiting for the Biblioburro" (Ages 5-8)
Written by Monica Brown and illustrated by John Parra
"The House on Mango Street" (Ages 14+)
Written by Sandra Cisneros
Dr. Ochoa Hernandez
This is Roxanna Ochoa Hernandez
She is an Associate Professor of Biology and a first-generation college graduate. Before COVID, Roxanna enjoyed going camping and taking road trips with her husband to National Parks. When she is not working, she stays busy taking care of her 18-month-old son. Family is an integral part of her everyday life and decisions.
“Neither of my parents had the opportunity to attend college so they always made education a priority for me,” she remembers. “I chose to study Biology because I like that it always starts with a question and then research to follow.”
Roxanna was born in Orange and spent most of her life in La Habra. Growing up, she was the oldest of three with two younger brothers. She attended the University of California, Irvine, graduating with an undergraduate degree and PhD in Biology. She also met her husband, Gene, at UCI while completing her bachelor's degree and got married on campus after completing her PhD. They went to Tulum, Mexico, for their honeymoon.
“Some of the courses students take as a Biology major can be challenging. One of the benefits of being a student at Vanguard is that you are not alone. Vanguard is great because it offers free tutoring and Supplemental Instruction. Take advantage of the resources available to you to succeed.”
Roxanna’s family used to attend Templo Calvario Church in Santa Ana. There, she heard about an open faculty position from Dr. Tommy Casarez while she was finishing her dissertation and has been working at Vanguard since.
Vanguard is so thankful for Roxanna’s experience, education and passion for teaching Biology undergraduate courses.