Making Connections & Finding Hope
For the third year running, the Ignatian Center has been able to participate in the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Summer Migration Summit. This year’s program was held virtually across 3 weeks of online engagement, and SCU had a record of 14 student participants join the program. The content, focused on awareness and advocacy surrounding issues of immigration, was just as impactful as ever.
After the conclusion of the summit, we asked the student participants to share about their experiences and reflect on the ways they will use what they learned in the future.
What were your major takeaways from the conference?
"I'm grateful to have been able to connect with students and professional staff across the country through informative presentations and meaningful reflection, which made the world feel a little smaller in times of great distance. My foundation of understanding about migration is much stronger than it once was, and I feel more equipped to engage in advocacy work as well as community organizing. Another takeaway is that I was able to attend this conference with a crew of really awesome SCU students from all four years. Every Zoom call I've experienced with them has been so energizing and heartwarming—I am so excited for a year full of action planning with such a passionate, creative, and industrious group! I really encourage anyone who is interested in the Undocumented Students and Allies Association to reach out to us because we'd be more than happy to connect with you in how we can all play a part in advocating for individuals with undocumented status or mixed-status families."
- Grace Lin-Cereghino '21
"For me this conference gave me hope, that amazing students across the country are seeking help and guidance from each other to make our world a better place specifically for those on the margins, that many students from Jesuit institutions are seeking to have a "faith that does justice," and that we are never alone and that there is a lot of important work that lies ahead."
Daniel Sebastian Martinez '24
What was the most impactful session from the conference for you, and why?
"The session with the Kino Border Initiative stories were super impactful and really deepened how I feel in regards to migration justice. It's so easy to quantify these type of issues, and say that, for example, 30,000 immigrants were deported in this year, or 10,000 people applied for asylum. The stories from the Kino Border Initiative showed that individual people are impacted everyday, and that their livelihoods are at stake. If more people were able to hear the stories of Cynthia or Lucas, I'm sure it would be much harder to deem migrants as "illegal" and people would begin to see that they are trying to make their way in the world just like everyone else. Their stories are so valuable because they are things you can't quantify or put a label on - they are distinctively enpowering."
- Josh Raymundo '22
"The Voices from Kino Border session was one of the most impactful for me. It was very surreal to hear migrants' voices and think about how far they have come (physically, emotionally, financially, etc.) to get to the US and yet they are still unable to cross the border. It was another impactful reminder to me that I am so fortunate just to have been born in this country - something I had no control over, but something for which I receive lifelong privileges. I also really enjoyed being able to connect with students from other universities during the Zoom reflections. It has meant a lot to me just being able to see and talk to other people during quarantine, but it was also really nice to come together with them and hear their thoughts about migration issues, as well as the current circumstances on their campuses. For me, these "in-person" reflections helped bring the migration issues back to the here and now, so to speak - they reminded me that these things are happening right now and there are things that we can do right now to change them."
- Lauren Hewitt '21
How did the migration summit help you discern your role in the community and in the world?
"I've definitely become inspired to work within the campus and wider Santa Clara community to organize events - right now virtually, but eventually in person. It can certainly feel like one person can't make a difference, but after the summit, we've seen how much of a difference just a few people can make. It instilled in me such a positive and unshakable attitude, and has a fire burning that won't wear out anytime soon. I'm incredibly grateful to have this experience, because I know that I can play a role - no matter the size of said role - in making a difference."
- Josh Raymundo '22
"The immigration summit helped me discern that I have a privilege to make a community issue known to the world. I can do this through planning social justice events in my campus to volunteering directly with organizations dealing with this impact."
- Joce Pulido '21
"The migration summit gave me the encouragement I needed to start taking a more active role in activism. I have been afraid to speak up on issues that I haven't really experienced in my life (calling to mind the imposter syndrome), but participating in this summit was such a helpful reminder that I do have a role in this movement. Additionally, the SCU summit group is such a kind and supportive group of individuals; I didn't expect to find a new community through this summit but I am so glad to have been a part of it, and talking to our group has helped encourage me to stop being so afraid and start finding my place in activism."
- Lauren Hewitt '21
"The summit helped me discern my role in the community because it motivated and provided me with the tools to become a more effective agent of change. It connected me to a group of amazing SCU students who share similar moral/ethical values and want to take collective action and advocate for these values in a more public sphere."
Sofia Sandoval Larco '21
How did your previous involvement with the Ignatian Center enhance your learning? What intersections do you see between the summit and the work of the Center?
"Hearing stories directly from asylum seekers and about the power of intensely local organizing intersects with my work as an Arrupe Engagement Fellow at the Ignatian Center because many of our community partners (nonprofits, schools, etc.) advocate for folks experiencing barriers to documentation. We can see the downstream effects of living with fear of detention by ICE can translate into people experiencing housing and food insecurity, obstacles to equitable education, and poor health outcomes. Sustained Arrupe Engagement experiences with community partners give students the opportunity to accompany people through the inequality they face on a daily basis and promote inclusion via compassionate kinship."
- Grace Lin-Cereghino '21
"Something that has stuck with me from my immersion trip to Costa Rica was to recognize that all humans are made in the image of God, and therefore there is dignity in every single one of us. I'm not very religious, but if we try to see the face of God in everybody, I believe we will be more likely to treat each other with kindness and respect. The Jesuit principle of being people for and with others has really stuck with me from both the migration summit and my immersion last year."
- Sofia Sandoval Larco '21
"The migration summit gave me the encouragement I needed to start taking a more active role in activism. I have been afraid to speak up on issues that I haven't really experienced in my life (calling to mind the imposter syndrome), but participating in this summit was such a helpful reminder that I do have a role in this movement. Additionally, the SCU summit group is such a kind and supportive group of individuals; I didn't expect to find a new community through this summit but I am so glad to have been a part of it, and talking to our group has helped encourage me to stop being so afraid and start finding my place in activism."
- Lauren Hewitt '21