From our intern, Ceinwen Bushey

We wanted one of our interns to share her experience with a recent event, the UW Latin American Studies Program Party with a Purpose. She's Ceinwen Bushey (pictured above), a senior in the program, and here's what she relates:

The evening of April 18th, 2009 was an exciting one for members of the Latin American Studies Program at the University of Washington, as they held an event called, “Party with a Purpose” -- a Spring Fundraiser which provided an opportunity for members of the Seattle community to meet the new faculty and staff, as well as students in the Latin American Studies Program to learn about their vision and what the future of the program looks like.

The party was held at the Greenwood Collective, a beautiful space where guests mingled and danced to live Latin music from 6:30pm to 1:00am. In the outdoor patio and garden, guests enjoyed a fine selection of locally-crafted beer and wine, and in the red-tiled kitchen they filled their plates with delicious hors d’euvres from around Latin America, including El Salvadorean pupusas (masa flatbread stuffed with beans, cheese, or meat), Venezuelan arepas (bread made of corn), and Brazilian bolinhos (little balls of shredded chicken, breaded and fried).

The dance floor was never empty with bands such as Grupo Quetzal with Martha Gonzales, Mudzunga and her Venda Singers, Monica Rojas and her Afro-Peruvian Ensemble, Juan Barco y su guitarra, and Dingolay who kept the guests grooving to their Latin beats. Even the assistant director of the Latin American Studies Department, Dr. Marisol Berríos-Miranda, took a turn at the keyboard, pleasantly surprising everyone with her sizzling salsa tunes that got everyone to show off their salsa moves.

The night was a great success as people were able to network and bond, as well as really “party with a purpose” by donating to the Latin American Studies Program to help them build their coffers to support student abroad programs, business partnerships between Latin America and Washington, and outreach community activities. We look forward to joining the program in future events that bring the community together, Latino style!

Did you attend this event? If so, please comment here if you like!

BIENVENIDOS: 3 New Interns at Conexión Marketing

Yes, you read that correctly--we've just been granted the time and talent of three smart UW students from the Spanish and Portuguese division of the Romance Languages Department!

Yecenia Guerrero is a Mexican American from Yakima, Washington! She's studying a double-major in Sociology and Spanish with a minor in Education, and will be looking into fulfilling her teaching requirements once she graduates so she can share her gifts with local kids. With lots of office, community organization, and leadership experience, we're excited to have Yecenia on board with us!

Asunción Márquez is also Mexican American. He hails from Sunnyside, a town with a population that's more Hispanic than anything else. Asunción has another year left in his studies after this one as he's pursuing a double major to include Community Environmental Planning/Urban Planning as well as Spanish. He's got lots of great retail, research, and customer service experience, and is an expert merchandiser.

Ceinwen Bushey is a Dean's List gringa with an amazing fluency in Spanish, thanks to her years in Ecuador and Guatemala (plus travels elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world). She is finishing her Spanish degree in early June and will be doing networking as part of her internship. She is the reason we don't limit our internships to native Spanish speakers.

Yecenia, Asunción and Ceinwen will be working with us both this and next quarter, learning about Hispanic marketing, lending their ideas, and collaborating with us in the Conexión Marketing office. ¡Bienvenidos!