Connecting the Campus Community

“I grew up in public housing in Chelsea. I am Puerto Rican, but I never learned Spanish because my mother, who was born in the city, only spoke English. For many years, I didn’t know how to pronounce my last name. Because I didn’t know Spanish, I wasn’t able to read books by Latino authors—unless they had been translated into English—or understand the lyrics of Latino songs, or converse with my grandparents in their native tongue. I felt disenfranchised from my family, community, and self.

“For the past two years I have lived in Grossman House, and it has changed my life. I met other Latinos and students from all over the world who have vastly different experiences and perspectives than mine. I discovered my community despite the fact that we are all from different places. I have reconnected with my family in Puerto Rico, and we talk frequently—in Spanish. I am proud of my heritage. Thanks to Grossman House, I know who I am.
I know where I belong.”

—Eddie Andujar ’15, a double major in international affairs and Latin American & Caribbean studies