While studying at Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago, Chile last year, everything connected to Pablo Neruda. Pablo Neruda is a famous Chilean poet and most of what he did, and said, guided classroom discussion and Chilean pride during my six-month journey in that beautiful country. With this, it was hard not to listen to Neruda as a guest in this culture. I listened and I hoped that I would take away something that this Chilean poet had to offer to so many people that surrounded me daily during my time in Santiago. I aspired to make a connection and eventually, I found it.
Neruda once said, “la felicad es interior, no exterior; por lo tanto, no depende de lo que tenemos, sino de lo que somos.” To make sense of this, I first translated…show more content… Arturo guided my immersive experience in Cholula, Mexico this past December. I thank him for teaching me the importance of what it means to me a community leader. He founded Enlaces Communitarios, or “Community Links,” which connects groups of people across our world. I was drawn to participating in this immersion program through the Ignatian Center at Santa Clara because of the opportunities to engage with people like Arturo. His guidance was contagious, eye opening, and genuine. I believe that Arturo, too, understands that happiness is interior and not exterior. Arturo demonstrated to me, to my immersion group, to the community of Cholula, and to anyone he encountered that everyone has the ability to learn but some may need the push to listen. I watched Arturo bring a community together, draw community links, and overall utilize education as a vital tool for innovation. However, Arturo never forced his thoughts on you. He waited until you were willing to listen for him to introduce something he believed was right. I will forever take his guidance with me as a leader and as a…show more content… Some kids will ask you for help opening their snack, and some will work at it themselves. Some kids want to lead the line to the playground, but others do not mind staying in the pack. I was never the kid to let you know my thoughts right away; I definitely wanted to open my own snack; and leading the line was never my top priority. Since an early age, I was always known as “quiet.” I was comfortable being I – being in the moment – taking in all that was going on around me. Sometimes I was a part of the picture, and other times I was the observer. Through time, I have become more confident in raising my voice to when it matters, while still being observant. I have been able to observe and listen to people – like Neruda, Arturo, Ben, the children at Santa Adrianna, my Peruvian family, and so many others – about what it means to truly discern each experience with gratitude and an open mind. Learning extends beyond the four walls of a classroom and barriers are meant to be worked around. What we have internally is far greater than what we have on the outside. Our gifts to the world are our skills, stories and abilities rather than what we have on our backs or make day by day. I hope to share what I have learned from those in surrounding communities – near and far – to those, I will encounter throughout the entirety of my
