Through a shared heritage and culture, Latin American Student Organizations connect bridges with fellow Latin instructors for Building Bridges.

Building Bridges is open for anyone on campus to come, and it will be at 7 p.m. September 24 in the 7th Street Underground.

Liz Arreola, president of LASO said there would be a panel of professors, and they will talk about the obstacles and issues they had to overcome while teaching and attending Eastern.

The students visiting the panel will be able to ask the professors a range of personal questions and stories, which will allow the students to get to know them on a personal level.

Chris Macias, the treasurer to LASO, said this is the first time students from within the organization will be able to meet their fellow Latin faculty members.

Macias said they want students to feel comfortable with the professors and faculty and confide in the person as a valuable resource who can guide them.

Both Arreola and Macias said the organization recognized there was a lack of communication between their members and Latin faculty members, so LASO came up with the concept of having them all meet for an informal mingle.

Arreola said she sees the Latin faculty members as role models because of a shared heritage and obstacles.

“They are the ones that make me feel like anything is possible because they understand the struggles that Latino students face.” Arreola said, “I know that if I have questions most of the time they will be able to guide me in the right path.”

Seeing fellow Latin faculty members teaching classes motivates her, and it is a way of showing other Latin students that they are capable of educational success, Arreola said.

Macias, who has not had the opportunity to have a Latin professor, said though his interactions with two through organization, he is grateful because they are always ready and available to help.

“I can say that being able to comfortably approach and interact with the two faculty members was a result of how they pushed me to become a better version of myself,” Macias said.

Roberto Hodge can be reached at 581-2812 or rlhodge@eiu.edu