The Arithmetic and Simplification of Radicals - Sums and Differences

El Pulso
Fall 2011
All about
METAS
2011-2012
From the METAS
2
Welcoming BBQ to the
METAS course and events,
our Graduate Assistant
gives us insides on the
events and classes that took
place this semester.
La tin Fest heats
up Jorgensen
From the salsa rhythms of the 15
“Bobby” Rodriguez Orchestra,
to the record breaking “hits” of
Cheo Feliciano, Latin Fest was
stthe place to be on October 1 .
Fall 2011 Recap Homecoming 2011:
Kickin’ it Old School!
We take a look back at all the 11 And first place for LipSync goes to…
events held and sponsored by PRLACC during the Fall P-R-L-A-C-C, PRLACC!
semester.
We bring you all the action from Homecoming week,
including the parade and the most anticipated event
of the week, the LipSync competition.
Continued on page 8
El Pulso Fall 2011
Interested in applying to become a
mentor or mentee?

The application
will be available in
Spring 2012

PRLACC Scholarship
The PRLACC Scholarship Award was
established to honor UConn students
who have advanced the role and METAS First Year Experience contributions of Latinos in society.
By Lois S. Ramírez
The application will be available in
Spring 2012.
Continuing the tradition of mentoring our Latino students. This

Year our FYE METAS class was very successful. We kicked off the
year with our annual METAS BBQ, where the Mentors and Mentees
finally met.
Outstanding Faculty/Staff Award
For this year we tried to showcase all the services provided by the
university. We took a field trip to the Dairy Bar and while enjoying The Outstanding Faculty/Staff Award
honors a UConn faculty and/or staff our delicious UConn made ice cream we learned about nutrition.
member who has advanced the role and We also had the Rainbow center’s Speakers Bureau, who came to
contributions of Latinos at UConn and the talk to the Mentees about being a LGBTQ student at UConn.
community.

The application will be available in Other speakers from different departments and organizations
Spring 2012. throughout the campus such as mental health services, sexperts,
and career services came to talk to the students about all the
opportunities and programs available for them.

Hablas Ñ?
We finished the course with the decoration of the center for the
holidays. The Mentors and Mentees shared time together while Come and practice Spanish with
decorating Santa and elf hats. To wrap up the event, the Mentors, El Club de Español.
Mentees and Staff for 2011-2012 recorded a holiday greeting that
Library Language Center was sent via email. This semester was once again a wonderful
Thursdays 7:30pm – 8:30pm experience for all of us involved in METAS. Thank you for making

this semester a semester to remember. PRLACC
Last Thursday of the month
7:15pm – 8:50pm


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El Pulso Fall 2011
Latino Staff Highlight:
Christian Navarro
By Dr. Gladys M. Santiago-Tosado
In El Pulso, the Puerto Rican/Latin American And he decided to focus his academic interest
Cultural Center will be including interviews of in psychology, linguistics, language, research, and
Latinos, who are behind the scenes, active on graduate school. In addition to his college
campus or around the community, through our experience, Christian was able to enrich his life
newsletter, El Pulso, and the blog El Pulso studying abroad in Vienna in the summer of
Highlights: Connecting Latinos around the World. 2010. What follows are excerpts from our
In this edition, we highlight two Latinos of our conversation, which will give you a complete
community, one is a Researcher Assistant, picture of our staff highlighted for fall 2011.
Christian Navarro, and the other one is a work
Dr. Santiago: “How did you grow in terms of study student at the Center, José Benítez (Jose’s
your skills and knowledge through your college interview was written by Kalliope Damalas).
experience? You started college when you were
Christian Navarro is a native of the archipelago 18-years old, and now you are 23-years old, you
of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United just graduated in May; how would you say you
States. At the age of 23, he was offered a have grown up?”
Researcher position at the University of
Christian: “In many ways, I mean, the first thing I Connecticut in the Psychology Department. He
could think of and this came at a later stage… I graduated from the University of Puerto Rico
started learning different languages like German (UPR) with a bachelors degree in Philosophy and
and that was something I never thought I could a minor in Psychology. In addition, he loves music
have learned in my first and second year in and plays the drums, a talent that gave him the
college. Actually, that was one of the things that opportunity to attend a 5-week summer program
opened the doors to this opportunity here in in 2007 at Berklee College of Music in Boston:
UCONN. It opened my mind to a lot of things. I
“So, I went to Boston, and I enjoyed it a lot! It really, really appreciate languages.”
was a very important experience not only
Dr. Santiago: “So besides English and Spanish, musically, but in a general sense. It helped me
you also speak German?” sort things out, like what kinds of things I wanted
to do with my life; did I want to take music more Christian: “I wouldn’t say I am fully bilingual, but
seriously or did I want to focus more on my I am fluent, I understand pretty much.
academic career in Philosophy or Psychology?”




3

El Pulso Fall 2011
I am hoping to eventually, I don’t know where, but Christian: “Two and a half.”
to learn Icelandic, another language I have always
Dr. Santiago: “And you studied abroad?” had interest in. I always think that if you want to
learn a language, the first thing you should have in
Christian: “Yes, last summer, at the University of
mind is a genuine appreciation and curiosity for the
Vienna, to study German. It was an amazing
specific culture, not only the language itself. I
experience because the program wanted you to
always had interest for the German culture. I could
explore the city, the culture, and the mindset.
appreciate a lot of the different aspects of the There you meet all these different realities from
culture, not only the language. And that helps a lot different people. It can be a very strong firsthand
to enjoy the language.” experience, it can even be shocking, but in a good,
very rich way. That was very important to me Dr. Santiago: “If you were to speak to a freshman
because coming from a small island like Puerto student today, and this person had lot of doubts
Rico, where we are very used to certain things, about pursuing a college degree, how would you
certain consequences…geographically limited. You encourage this student to pursue a college degree?
think the world is in a certain way, and then you go
Christian: “The truth is, studying in any sense is a out to these places, and you look up, and it’s like
privilege whether we want to realize that or not. “wow, what have I been missing!”
Maybe the atmosphere of college is not for
Dr. Santiago: “Plus the opportunity to experience everyone, but I would tell people to give it a chance
other cultures.” because no matter what, it will open doors for you
in ways that you won’t be able to do outside of the
Christian: “Yes! It was a great experience. I think
academic world. It all depends on what you want,
that it’s important because it helps you to see that
some people feel good if they find something that
the world is not perfect, there are problems
provides for them, and they can survive and enjoy
everywhere. But it’s a matter of choosing or
certain things. But for other people perhaps like
knowing what types of things you like, what things
me, who have this curiosity to keep going and
attract you the most.”
exploring different things, for this type of person,

college is the best option, it brings different
Dr. Santiago: “In order to close with the interview,
perspectives... “
what you would say would be 3 characteristics of a
Latino with a sense of social responsibility? By Dr. Santiago: “Do you think that you would have
social responsibility I mean obtaining an education, been a different person today if you had not had a
contributing to society? college experience?
Christian: “You can be very smart and intelligent Christian: “Yes, definitely.
but you need to have discipline and perseverance.
One thing that as Puerto Ricans, I would think it’s Dr. Santiago: “In what ways?
very important to have that discipline to have that
Christian: “Once again, if I go back to the language mindset of wanting to do things in a certain way
example, last year I went to the University of because that will pay off in the long run. Not just in
Vienna. If I weren’t in college, I wouldn’t have been the academic world but also as a human being, as
able to have that experience.” in social interaction and how you behave around
others. If you have that di