Providence College recently issued the following announcement.
When the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce made a plea for help growing local businesses, Providence College’s Dr. Ana Cecilia Iraheta knew right away who to enlist — her students. The result of the partnership was increased visibility for several Hispanic-owned businesses and a greater appreciation for the gifts of bilingualism.
Last spring, Iraheta, an assistant professor of Spanish, received an email from the Hispanic Chamber asking for assistance with an initiative to bolster the online visibility of Hispanic-owned businesses. From her viewpoint, it was the ideal project for her Spanish for Heritage Speakers course, which is designed for bilingual English-Spanish students who have little or no formal training in the Spanish language.
The Rhode Island Latino Biz Web Project was a collaboration between the Rhode Island-Israel Collaborative, the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Israel Consulate General to New England, and the Wix web development platform, which provided each participating business with a free one-year business premium plan and access to the Wix Learning Center.
The project, which has run for two consecutive years, was open to all college students in Rhode Island, who were tasked with creating business websites using the Wix website development software.
In the spring of 2021, students from PC, Salve Regina University, and Rhode Island College participated. The second time, during the fall 2021 semester, PC and Bryant University students participated.
After each competition, a six-person committee evaluated the websites based on content, design, and bilingual accessibility, and cash prizes were awarded to the top web designs. The results were a clean sweep by the PC students, who were honored at an award ceremony attended by Gov. Daniel McKee, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and the Consul General of Israel to New England.
Fall 2021 winners
- 1st: Jasmine Tol Orellana ’24 (Providence, R.I.)
- 2nd: Loraine Estrella De Leon ’25 (Providence, R.I.)
- 3rd: Chanel Perez ’25
- 1st: Andres Castillo-Lares ’23 (Weston, Mass.)
- 2nd: Jerusalem Castro ’23 (Harrison, N.Y.)
- 3rd (shared): Jazmine Diaz (Cranston, R.I.)
- 3rd (shared): Nayely Furcal Marte ’23 (Providence, R.I.)
“Many of the bilinguals who enroll in the course come with the misconception that the Spanish they speak is ‘broken.’ They see their bilingualism as an obstacle, not as an asset,” Iraheta explained. “I believed this project would allow them to see a concrete outcome of their abilities. While enhancing and reinforcing their bilingual capacities, students would be helping small businesses to have more visibility and be more competitive. I hoped students would realize how important their bilingualism is.”
Jasmine Tol Orellana ’24 (Providence, R.I.), a psychology major who was in Iraheta’s fall 2021 class, earned first prize for her work on a website for Idamaris Hair Salon in Providence. Despite no previous experience creating a website and being unable to be in regular contact with the owner due to scheduling conflicts and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was pleased with the result and grateful for the experience.
“As a Latina who was born and raised in Providence, this project was more than an assignment,” she said. “It was an opportunity to give back to the community that helped me become who I am now. For that reason, helping a small business like Idamaris Hair Salon was the best part. That is also why telling Idamaris’ story through the website was one of my most important goals. I didn’t want her hard work and dedication to go unnoticed.”
“The owner came from Latin America to the U.S. with nothing. He has a dream to be something big in the Hispanic community. I’m proud that as a member of the younger generation I could help him as he grows,” she said.
Iraheta hoped the students would see value in these takeaways about service to others.
“The project was a good fit for the course because it goes in tandem with the college’s mission of serving the neighbors near and far,” she said. “Specifically, it addresses the needs and challenges that small Hispanic business owners face, such as the lack of access to reliable information about programs or partnerships available.
“This is proof that PC can help many small Hispanic business owners overcome some of the challenges by allowing students to utilize the skills and knowledge they are acquiring – consequently, lessening the impact of inequalities on this marginalized community.”
Original source can be found here.
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