Scholarship Means Cultural Unity for UC Student

For Evelyn Garcia of Colerain Township, 2000 graduate of Mt. Healthy High School and this year's Rafael Rennella Scholarship winner, the award is not just a pat on the back for a job well done, it's an incentive to work even harder and "imagine what will come in the following years."

Evelyn is the second annual recipient of the $1,000 award, created in memory of the young UC graduate, Rafael Rennella, who died in 1995 at the age of 26. Rafael was dedicated to creating a home away from home for the growing number of Latino students at the university.

Rafael, whose family came to this country as political refugees from Argentina in 1979, set out to make Latinos feel welcome at UC. He co-founded Latinos en Accion (LEA) in 1992 and also founded Hispanic Engineers on campus. In addition, Rafael devoted long hours to the Emerging Ethnic Engineers Program. Upon his death, the Latino community, both on campus and in the local region, came together to build a scholarship fund in his memory. The recipient need not be Hispanic, but must work in support of the university's Latino community.

Evelyn Garcia came to the United States from Mexico when she was only seven years old. She knows the value of education and hard work. Through the support and continual encouragement of her mother and two older siblings, Evelyn will be the first in her family to go to college and complete a degree. "At first I went to school just to make [my mother] happy. Because of her I'm going to be who I am."

That hard work isn't just in the classroom for Evelyn. In addition to a full course load during the school year, Evelyn works five days a week at the Fifth Third Bank in her neighborhood. Returning home at nine o'clock, Evelyn hits the books until 1 or 2 a.m. She recalls a night last year when she worked on a history paper, sleeping for only three hours. "And you know what? I received a B on that paper. It all depends on how seriously you take your work," she says.

When she first came to the United States, Evelyn was anxious to leave her heritage at the border and try to blend in with the rest of her peers. Her mother insisted that she continue to speak Spanish and always remember her roots. "Now I'm thankful that I speak two languages because I can get further." And at 19, she doesn't mind standing out anymore, but appreciates her uniqueness.

The cultural differences Evelyn faced were her most significant challenge. Small things made her feel like an outsider, like her early curfew when her friends did not have one, and the food she prepared for young guests.

Now, her greatest challenge has been adjusting to college life. Evelyn says her involvement in LEA has made her more open-minded to other Spanish-speaking cultures. She no longer limits herself to Mexican food, music, etc. "You move in and begin to find yourself," she says. "We're such a wide blend [at LEA]. We have members from Mexico, Honduras, etc. As Hispanics, we learn from each other."

Evelyn is a pre-sophomore at UC. Though she did not have the opportunity to meet Rafael Rennella, she was still able to learn from him and the life he lived. "I want to try to make the group more united, get more people involved. I want to do whatever possible to bring more people together and make this thing big."

She has big plans for her own future as well. "At first I was in business, then I changed to psychology. Now I might change to teaching. I think kids are our future and I want to play a part in the future."

To incoming students, Evelyn has the following advice to offer: "Don't be closed-minded about anything. Find at least one thing that you like and can get involved in. You might get something good out of it."

Evelyn says the scholarship money she has been awarded will be put toward anything she needs for school, such as tuition. "It meant a lot to receive it because it means that I'm really doing something right. I love for people to learn about other cultures."

Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the scholarship fund can send it to the Rafael Rennella Scholarship Fund, University of Cincinnati Foundation, 51 Goodman Drive, 100 University Hall, P.O. Box 19970, Cincinnati, OH 45219-0970, or call 513-556-1098 for more information.

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