Socorro Alvarez Hispanic Outreach Director At Western...

Introduction and Background Socorro Alvarez is the Hispanic Outreach Director at Western Avenue Community Center in Bloomington, Illinois. Mrs. Alvarez has been at the center for over 20 years. She came to the United States, from Mexico, when she was seventeen. She was the oldest in the family and her Father did not think she should go to high school or college. He thought she needed to find a husband and stay close to the family because it was her responsibility as the oldest. Espinoza (2010), states this is a common value in Hispanic families, that comes from the value Marianismo. This is a value that has an expectation that a â€Å"good Latina woman† will always place family above her own needs (Espinoza, 2010). Socorro says that her father encouraged the rest of the children to attend both high school and college. After she came to the United States, she received her GED and married a man she says had the same beliefs as her father. Even though she had both men in her life believing she should not ge t a college education, she got one and was the only sibling to graduate college. After college she raised her children and then went to work for Western Avenue Community Center. She realized there was a huge gap in the resources for Hispanics, especially those that only spoke Spanish, so she began building the resources at Western Avenue Community Center that are used today. Socorro works closely with Liz, the Hispanic counselor at the center, they combine their skills to help