The Hispanic Student Association (HSA) and F1RSTGEN are collaborating on The Pulsera Project. Oct. 3-5 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the JBK, the two organizations will sell colorful, handmade bracelets – pulseras – and all the proceeds go back to the Central American artisans who made them.
“So, The Pulsera Project is basically when we get handmade bracelets from people in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and we sell it for them, and all proceeds go back to their communities [to] help them with like food, scholarships for education, and shelter and things like that,” F1RSTGEN President Jolaine Machado, a senior majoring in biology with a pre-medical specialization, said.
F1RSTGEN and the HSA have collaborated on The Pulsera Project for multiple years. HSA President Audrey Rangel, a junior majoring in animal science with a pre-veterinarian specialization, said that the organizations wanted to keep up the tradition this year.
“I like that it’s supporting individuals like myself,” Rangel said. “They’re from Central America, and you know, they’re just trying to make a living and I like supporting them.”
F1RSTGEN’s Community Service Officer, Asher Nowak, is a junior majoring in biology with a pre-medical specialization. Nowak helps coordinate community service events for F1RSTGEN, such as an upcoming volunteer opportunity at the Ronald McDonald House in Amarillo.
“I really care about giving back, whether it’s for Guatemala and Nicaragua or just in my own community,” Nowak said. “I just love to give back to my community for those who maybe need a little more than I do.”
F1RSTGEN offers students a connection with their peers in addition to service opportunities.
“To me, I found it like a little community,” Machado said. “I came into college not really knowing how to make friends or like I was just like really nervous. So, I joined the first day and it’s given me a lot of like opportunities to like connect with different people and grow my leadership skills.”
Rangel said that the HSA also helped her to form a community when she came to campus. She said that students who want to join the HSA should “just go for it!”
“You can always just show up to a meeting and see if you like it, and if not, that’s okay,” Rangel said. “And if you do, then you have made a bunch of new friends.”
F1RSTGEN meets every other Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the JBK’s Thunder Room. The HSA meets every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Senate Chamber at the JBK.
This article was edited on Oct. 5 to correct the spelling of Jolaine Machado’s name.
