The A-State Office of Multicultural Affairs hosted the Songs and Stories: Nuestras Voces event last Wednesday, giving A-State faculty members an artistic opportunity to showcase their Hispanic and Latino heritage near the end of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Being held in the Grand Hall of the Fowler Center, the event opened up with monologues from faculty members. Reinier Gesto-Borroto, manager of the Phenomics Core Facility at the Arkansas Biosciences Institute at A-State, and Fabricio Medina-Bolivar, director of both the environmental sciences and molecular biosciences graduate programs at A-State, shared their stories and experiences from their home countries to their current home at the university.

Gesto-Borroto, originally from Havana, Cuba, shared his migration experience shortly following his graduation in 2006. First moving to Mexico in 2013, he attained his Master’s and PhD degrees from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, then moved to pursue an opportunity at A-State in 2024. 

Gesto-Borroto described his journey as a double-migrant, saying the difficulty was a necessary bargain for chasing his goals.

“Two new beginnings-that’s what this means to me. I was leaving too many things behind, but with no regrets, because I was always working towards my dreams,” said Gesto-Borroto. “Starting again in another country is not easy, but every new beginning is also part of this journey.”

Medina-Bolivar, from Lima, Peru, recounted the story of his upbringing that led him to establish a career in the field of plant biology. His roots for innovation began with his involvement at the International Potato Center in Peru, where he was discovered by a scientist, leading him to migrate to the U.S. to pursue a PhD at Penn State University. 

He said his experience as a migrant in his studies later shaping his perspective as a professor.

“It was so challenging for me, you know, just not having that immediate support, and I feel that for me, as a human being, as a professor, what I would like to do is to support other people–to give that mentoring and that help to others,” Medina-Bolivar said. “You never know what other people are going through.”

After both members shared a brief story on their educational background and journey to A-State, attendees anticipated the creative performances that would follow the presentations.

Gesto-Borroto and his spouse performed a routine showcasing different styles of popular Latin dances from Cuba, the unofficial rhythmic capital of Latin America. The pair shared dance moves to music by Puerto Rican artists Marc Anthony and Olga Tañón. 

Gesto-Borroto said music has helped him keep ties with his cultural roots, and stated that those who helped him achieve his goals along the way enriched his life’s experiences.

“Because sometimes success is not only about reaching the place you have been dreaming about,” said Gesto-Borroto. “Sometimes it’s also about looking around when you get there and remembering everyone who helped you make that journey.”

Medina-Bolivar followed his presentation with a musical performance on the piano, leading with an improvisation piece and ending with a rendition of the Peruvian song “La Flor de Canela” composed by Chabuca Granda. He said the song serves as a reminder of his mother’s singing in his childhood, bringing back the memories of his family in Peru.

The event served as a refreshing and abstract perspective of cultural representation in light of Hispanic Heritage Month, communicating meaning through the exchange of dance and musical performances. 

Latika Johnson, Director of Multicultural Affairs at A-State, said her efforts with Songs and Stories intended to serve as a place for A-State faculty to share their accounts and celebrate their background.

“We also know we have very gifted and talented faculty here and a slew of other folks on our campus who don’t always get the opportunity to share their stories,” said Johnson. “We wanted to give them a platform to showcase it.”

Categories: Life