Students serve community through Hacienda

By Ana Fonseca, Staff Writer fonseca16@up.edu

Sophomore Jacyln Sisto was determined to get out of her comfort zone. As a social work major with a Latino background, Sisto knew she was ready to put her efforts towards helping a community with a diversity not easily found on the UP campus.

Sisto found just what she was looking for in Hacienda Community Development Corporation.

The first thing she discovered was an overwhelming need for volunteers.

"I emailed one person at Sun Schools and there was this huge, 'We need help, we need so much help! Please help!' and that's how I got involved with Hacienda," Sisto said.

Hacienda Community Development Corporation is a non-profit organization that works with Latino community developments and provides housing for low-income families in North Portland.

Fifty percent of the residents living in Hacienda housing are children who need extra support academically. The majority of Expresiones youth are at least one year behind in reading, writing and math.

Monday through Friday, UP students work with the Hacienda Expresiones program and tutor elementary school kids living in Hacienda housing. The Expresiones program works to help children stay on track with their homework and build good study habits for the future.

"I think one of the hardest things is when you help a kid and you realize, like, they're levels behind in their homework, you know? And so you're not even trying to teach the work, you're trying to play catch-up," Sisto said.

Many UP students have jumped into action and started volunteering with the program. As the Hacienda Campus Volunteer Coordinator, Sisto has been surprised at the range majors of UP students who choose to volunteer.

Hacienda kids are mostly in kindergarten through fourth grade. UP volunteers feel that working with kids is a large and enjoyable part of the Hacienda experience.

"[The kids are] full of energy and they're kind of crazy. It's a little overwhelming sometimes, but overall it's worth it," sophomore Regina Iriawan said. "The kids are adorable."

Hacienda also fosters strong bonds between UP volunteers and Hacienda kids. Sisto, who works with Hacienda twice a week, has started to build strong relationships with the students.

"I helped this one girl apply for her high school and I was like, 'I'm holding this girl's fate in my hands and she trusts me enough to help her!'" Sisto said. "The older kids are hard. They're a little detached and they don't want you to help them. So for her to move past it and develop a relationship with me, that is really cool."

UP volunteers find the diversity of Hacienda to be refreshing.

"Though people my own age are very nice, let's face it, being on a college campus means that there is really no diversity in ages," freshman Augustus Leveque-Eichhorn said. "Getting off campus is a nice change."

Although UP students have many tutoring opportunities in Portland, Hacienda stands apart because of its diversity. About 60 percent of the people living in Hacienda housing are Latino, and a large percent of the remaining population are Somali.

Although speaking Spanish is not necessary to be a volunteer, Sisto says it does make a difference.

"I would say, if not 95 percent of the kids, 100 percent of them speak Spanish. One of the first question the kids ask you ... is, do you speak Spanish, and if you do, it's cool to them," Sisto said.

"It's for people who are willing to step outside of their comfort zone and experience diversity. Not even just racial diversity, but socio-economic diversity," Sisto said. "As University of Portland students, we're definitely in our bubble."