SHPE - Fall 2007 - (Page 76) REGIONAL ROUNDUP opportunity to represent the Latino college community and serve as role models. As we all look forward to a successful year, I personally would like to thank all the SHPE familia for supporting Boise’s efforts. Go, Broncos! Submitted by Gerardo J Belmont Student Chapter President anniversary in 2008. Not only will our chapter meet all of its goals, it will exceed them as tribute to our chapter’s history and past membership. Truly, Region III is the place to be! Submitted by Eric Rodriguez Student Chapter President An Evening With President Fox By Ricardo Limon Recently, my sister, Iliana Limon, Region IV vice president, and I had the distinguished honor of attending a dinner that included former Mexican President Vicente Fox and his wife, Marta. Fox is a member of the National Action Party (PAN), a political party that until 2000 had fallen short of victory against the dominating Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI); PRI had been in power for more than 70 years. He served in the highest political office until 2006, a tenure that been described as a period of huge transition for Mexican politics. We listened while President Fox and his wife answered questions on various subjects, including U.S. foreign policy, U.S.-Mexico relations, upcoming U.S. elections, Fox’s Mexican policies, past Mexican elections, his wife’s role in their political lives and his experiences as an executive with The Coca-Cola Company. The Mexican economy has grown in the last couple of years to create more than 250,000 jobs, lower the prime interest rate, expand business relationships with foreign countries and lower the inflation rate below that of the United States. The effects of his policies were unanticipated and are only now being noticed. Overcoming the effects of seven decades of government corruption has been an uphill battle; however, the Mexican population started feeling these positive effects at the right time, leading to the election of Fox’s successor, Felipe Calderon, from the same political party. Fox will be credited with fixing the wheels of a very complicated machine which had been crippled by corruption and deceit for decades. He put it on the right path, developed a sense of trust for the Mexican people and, ultimately, nourished an overwhelming feeling of pride and hope for Mexico as a country and for its people. Kansas State University We are Hispanic, and we are part of SHPE. This unites us and strengthens our representation. It also displays our power and capabilities and helps us be recognized as competent, intelligent and resourceful people. This is what gives us that sense of SHPE family which many times provides us with strength and support. Still, the sense of unity it represents is not easily understood by young students who find themselves in the newfound fellowship of the SHPE family – smart, friendly Hispanic people who not only share some of their beliefs, but also their culture and their sense of being. With this sense of belonging comes loyalty toward the group and its members. What I fear is crossing the fine line between loyalty and favoritism. Inherent in being part of a minority group is a sense of division; yet, living in a multi-ethnic society, it’s important to understand the value of working in partnership with other minority groups. While we do not often see non-Hispanic members in our meetings, we should expect to work and live with people from other ethnicities and invite them to share with us in the SHPE family. It’s important to preserve that sense of equity and responsibility, making sure we don’t give the wrong idea to the young and energetic. After all, this world truly will be better when we can mix and find partnerships among many. So let’s make sure we can really describe partnership as partnerSHPE. Submitted by Ignacio Garita REGION IV Connecticut T Delaware T Maine T Maryland T Massachusetts T New Hampshire T New Jersey T New York T Pennsylvania T Rhode Island T Vermont T Virginia T West Virginia T District of Columbia T Puerto Rico RSR Update Hello, Region IV, and welcome! As you may have noticed, I’ve been very committed to reaching each of our chapter leaders. Being the largest region in numbers calls for greater awareness of how effectively we communicate. I am very eager to enhance and improve our channels of communication, and I am very confident that this communication improvement will translate into great steps in achieving our respective goals. This year, SHPE is more than ready to meet its membership goals. As a result of the RVP/RSR Retreat held in Fresno, California, as well as the National Retreat held in Austin, Texas, we understand what is needed to achieve huge outcomes. I want to encourage our entire region to join us in this journey. Check http://oneshpe.shpe.org/wps/ portal/region4 for regional news, and do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail at francisco.rivera@shpe.org. Submitted by Francisco M. Rivera Regional Student Representative Connecticut Professional Chapter In June SHPE-CT held its first End of Year Celebration and Scholarship Reception at Hartford Public High School. Students, faculty and SHPE-CT members gathered to celebrate the accomplishments reached during the 20062007 period and congratulate the scholarship winners. Joelle Hayes, director of Diversity Talent Acquisition at Travelers, was the keynote and motivational speaker. She connected with the audience by relating her experiences as a high school and college student and the sacrifice that it takes to pursue a successful career. The ceremony was followed by the presentation of two $1,000 scholarships to qualified seniors set on STEM careers. The recipients were Jeffrey Gillespie, a computer engineering major at UConn, and Cristal Echevarria, a mechanical engineering major at the University of Hartford. The event closed with a performance by Raíces Latinas, a folkloric group of ASPIRA students. Those in attendance took away some new insights and inspiration to push forward in attaining their dreams. The event was the result of the continuous effort and commitment from SHPE-CT to increase the educational opportunities in our community. Submitted by Gabriela Contreras Professional Chapter Internal Vice President SHPE R Fall 2007 New Mexico State University ¡Saludos desde Nuevo México! SHPE-NMSU has an exciting and active year coming up. We plan to start by increasing our chapter membership through a number of recruitment activities during the first days of classes. Our chapter hopes to attract incoming freshmen as well as NMSU Aggies from other class ranks. Our mission will be to continue providing excellence to members through quality opportunities in scholarships, internships, conference attendance, professional and educational development and networking. This year our chapter will be involved in a variety of events from membership barbecues and formal ceremonies to community-based activities such as initiating local SHPE Jr. chapters and hosting the second Regional Science Bowl at NMSU. We even have plans to host a golf tournament among local SHPE members and company professionals. However, the most important event will be celebrating our chapter’s 30th New York City Professional Chapter SHPE-NYC has fun in the sun at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York. SHPE-NYC gathered for a day of fun in the sun at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, New York. Attendees enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs and cold beverages along with a fun game of volleyball. Master chef Johny Lopez, chapter president, manned the grill. For more information on our chapter, please contact us at patricia.ortiz@morganstanley.com. Submitted by Dorinda Garcia Professional Chapter Vice President 76 http://oneshpe.shpe.org/wps/portal/region4 http://oneshpe.shpe.org/wps/portal/region4
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