The Kichwa language classes at Michigan State University, taught by Micaela Jerez Masaquiza and Elsa Cain Yuqilema, serve as a platform for cultural preservation and education. Coming from Ecuador, the women are not just teaching a language but also sharing their heritage with a diverse student body. Their aim is to combat cultural displacement while enhancing awareness about indigenous peoples in Latin America. As part of their exchange program through Fulbright, they are strengthening their own identities and broadening perspectives among students.
"I didn't really know anything about Ecuador or the Kichwas," says Julia Tehauno, 23, a student of Micaela's. "Many people here have an overly romantic idea of what it means to be indigenous. These classes broadened my view of the world."
Micaela and Elsa came to East Lansing as Foreign Language Teaching Assistants through the Fulbright program, aiming to teach Kichwa and share their cultural heritage.
Collection
[
|
...
]