When asked what the "culture" of Auburn is, the average student would think football, parties and good old Southern hospitality.
All the above may be true, but Auburn students living inside the campus bubble may not often realize that the "culture" of the larger Auburn-Opelika area is actually far more vibrant and diverse.
Recognizing this, a motivated student and the Department of Foreign Languages came together to create the group Closing the Gap.
"I saw there was a significant amount of ignorance regarding the immigrant populations in the area," said Taylor Baronich, president and founder of Closing the Gap.
The program seeks to make inroads with the immigrant communities of the Auburn-Opelika area, helping them become a part of the larger community in which they live.
The program's beginnings took hold in 2008, when assistant professor of Spanish, Gilda Socarras, began requiring students to tutor local Hispanic immigrants as a service learning component of her advanced Spanish classes.
"In order to be integrated into this society, they must learn English," Socarras said of the Hispanic immigrants who receive an English lesson from Spanish students every Wednesday at Iglesia Vida Nueva (New Life Church) on North College Street.
When Baronich took Socarras's class last semester, she realized the work being done by the Spanish department fit perfectly into her idea for an immigrant awareness club.
The two came together and decided to form Closing the Gap. "The gap" becomes readily apparent when a person looks at "the way Hispanics live versus the larger community," Socarras said.
Since the program's creation, a food drive has emerged to help immigrants whose jobs, such as construction and landscaping, are often seasonal.
"With the seasonal jobs, if there is no work, there is no money," Socarras said. "And when there is no money, there is nothing to eat."
Students from Spanish classes donate cans and Closing the Gap sorts the preserved food items to give to families who sign up for the food at Vida Nueva.
While the program gives back to the immigrant population, Socarras and Baronich stress that Auburn students have as much to gain as those they are helping in the community.
"The chance to experience other cultures on campus will form a more open student body," Baronich said, "especially in an increasingly globalized world."
Students are already capitalizing on that chance, as many have stepped up to help out with the forming of Closing the Gap.
Daniel Hanson, who will begin his graduate studies in Spanish this summer, wanted to get involved with the local immigrant community. Having worked in restaurants where Spanish and English speaking employees interact, Hanson has seen the need for a dialogue between cultures first hand.
Hanson said simply reaching out a helping hand "makes them more comfortable and more willing to learn the language."
Even the students in the service learning classes that have required participation in the program have much to gain and learn.
"It's really fun," said Shelly Miller, a sophomore in the class who participates at the weekly sessions at the church off of North College Street. "You don't always understand everything they say, but you always find a way to communicate."
The club has more projects on its horizon.
Baronich said a health fair to assist immigrants with making informed health care decisions as well as a panel discussion with city and University representatives about immigration issues are being discussed and considered.
Baronich looks toward a bright future with Auburn's immigrant population.
"By simply asking their name and offering assistance," Baronich said, "we are not only helping their assimilation, but also building their confidence and ability to give back to the community they live."
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