Grinnell Athletics is proud to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month and the diversity of those in the Hispanic community at Grinnell College. Each Wednesday throughout the celebratory month, the Grinnell Athletics website will feature a Q&A with a Hispanic student-athlete. The national celebration spans September 15 – October 15 annually.
This week’s feature is on Marlu Abarca ’14, a softball player with a psychology/Spanish major:
Q: Besides your sport(s), what other activities do you enjoy?
A: I love to draw, dance and sing, though due to my busy schedule, the former is reserved for the weekends, and the latter for the shower!
Q: Talk about your typical day while you’re in season – what does your schedule look like?
A: A typical weekday for me during the season consists of attending classes, the occasional lunch-time meeting, and practice. These days are my busiest because I try to get as much work done before the weekend because that’s when I have games.
Q: If you were to put your iPod on shuffle right now, what three songs would come up?
A: Champion—Kanye West, When You Were Young—The Killers, Before I Forget--Slipknot
Q: If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be and why?
A: Nicki Minaj, I think it’d be very interesting to discuss feminist theory with her!
Q: What are your favorite food and your favorite D-Hall entrée?
A:My favorite food is cheese pizza and french fries, but my choice d-hall entrée would be veggie burgers!
Q: Hispanic/Latino/a culture comprises more than 20 countries/nationalities and numerous ethnicities, how would you describe your Hispanic/Latino/a identity?
A: I would describe my Hispanic/Latin-American identity as primarily Chicana, meaning American of Mexican descent; both my parents are Mexican, and I am first generation Mexican-American.
Q: What does your Hispanic/Latino/a heritage mean to you?
A: Being a Hispanic means that I have been and will continue to be part of a unique experience that is living in the U.S. Truly, I have the best of both worlds: I have generations of Mexican values instilled in me (along with family recipes for great food), while my education in the U.S. has allowed me to shape those values and be more open-minded about other cultures.
