Since I arrived in the United States 3 years ago from Ecuador, my goal has always been to obtain my bachelor’s degree in sociology. My ethnic identity was still somewhat confused; my mother was born in an indigenous community in my country’s highlands, while my father comes from the capital and has a French last name. Neither indigenous, European, but mestizo, and now also a migrant, this intersection of identities led me to become interested in sociology, and later in The Walla Walla Coronavirus Stories Project.
The Walla Walla Coronavirus Stories Project is a community-based learning and research project based out of the Whitman College and Northwest Archives, in partnership with the Socially Engaged Art Committee of the 
Walla Walla Immigrant Rights Coalition (WWIRC). Our goal is to make visible the impact of COVID-19 in the life of the Latino community in Walla Walla through the living testimony of the people. My duties within the group are varied. Having meetings with members of the Latino community in Walla Walla to inform about the project, keep a record of the expenses we make, read theory that can enrich my experience, and most importantly, do interviews about the impact of COVID-19 on jobs with interested people. In addition, my supervisors and I have meetings twice a week to discuss our experiences, challenges, and feelings about the activities that we carry out week by week.
Generally, people who speak exclusively Spanish in the United States do not have a public voice; most city events are in English. My ability as a bilingual person, whose first language is Spanish, offers the opportunity to people whose experiences have not been considered by the language barrier and make them public. The interviews can be in Spanish, in English, and even a fluid conversation that oscillates between the two languages that capture the daily essence of the people who have been impacted by COVID-19. Also, is important to mention that the narrated experiences are not always easy to digest; the interviews can touch on sensitive topics for both interviewee and interviewer. It is also significant to mention that the narrated experiences are not always easy to digest; the interviews can touch on sensitive topics for both interviewee and interviewer.
My experiences at the Walla Walla Coronavirus Stories Project have allowed me to put a human face on the concepts I learn in my sociology classes at Whitman College. In my classes, I am used to handling concepts such as intersectionality, nationality, gender, and social class; however, it is during my conversations with members of the Hispanic community that the ideas take on a real impact. I hope that this project provides us with relevant information about Walla Walla’s response to an extraordinary situation like this with COVID-19. At the same time, this is the beginning of a better representation of the Latino community in this city’s history.
Experiences like Christian’s are made possible by the Whitman Internship Grant, which provides funding for students to participate in unpaid internships at both for-profit and non-profit organizations. We are happy to be sharing blog posts from students who were supported by either a summer, fall, spring, or year-long Whitman Internship Grant at organizations, businesses, and research labs all around the world. To learn how you could secure a Whitman Internship Grant or host a Whitman intern at your organization, click here or contact Assistant Director for Internship Programs Mitzy Rodriguez