S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 | I S S U E 9 NIU PT DEI ALLIANCE This month we wanted to highlight and celebrate Hispanic Heritage month. Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th every year. The observation of this national holiday started in 1968 as a Celebrating weeklong holiday, which later was extended to a month-long celebration that is now on everyone’s calendar. This time period is also of significance because it marks the anniversary of independence for several Hispanic countries such as Hispanic Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Guatemala, and Chile. During this time, we honor and celebrate the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans. Heritage Hispanic heritage month also brings light to the terms "Latino" and "Hispanic". Month As people learn and embrace new and exciting cultures, it is essential to know that these terms are not interchangeable. Hispanic explicitly refers to the language of a group of people, and Latino refers to the location at which someone has lived. Improper usage of this terminology can be unknowingly “Preservation of one’s own disrespectful to people of Hispanic or Latino Heritage, because someone who is culture does not require Latino could potentially not be Hispanic. An example of a way to help with preventing this confusion would be to avoid bringing up someone’s ethnicity contempt or disrespect for unless they do so themselves. In general practice however, it's best never to ask other cultures.” – Cesar someone about their ethnicity unless they bring it up. For some, this may imply that they are a foreigner when they might have lived in the United States their Chavez. whole life. If you are still confused about the difference between the terms Latino and Hispanic, the simplest thing to remember is that Hispanic refers to Spanish-language populations, while Latino refers to Latin American countries and culture. One of the most famous Hispanic Physical Therapists is Lt. Colonel Andrew Contreras, who retired in 2020 and recently came out of retirement in 2021. He served many years in the US Army in multiple units. Contreras was the first Physical Therapist to serve in sustained combat operations and the first-ever full-time Physical Therapist in the White House. He is now back in the white house in an advising position and is currently serving as the Physical Therapist to President Joe Biden. 1 PT/SPT of the Month Definitions Latino: Referring geographically to people from Latin America, including Central America, South America, and the Caribbean Hispanic: Refers to people who speak Spanish or descendants of people from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. - Hispanic is centered on language, not on geographical location. Melissa Aguayo, SPT September Class of 2023 7 Rosh Hashana Begins 1. What is your name and Position? My name is Melissa Aguayo, and I am currently a student physical 15 Hispanic Heritage therapist. Month Begins 2. What your ethnicity and gender? 16 Yom Kippur I am a Hispanic female. 3. What made you want to become a PT? 20 Sukkot Begins My love for anatomy and observing the connection between a PT and their patient is what drew me to become a PT. It is not just a simple quick check- up with a patient, but instead involves assisting and guiding patients as they progress through treatment. 4. How would you explain your experience getting into PT school? Getting into PT school was quite stressful. Knowing that many other applicants either had jobs as PT techs, or previously experienced some form Resources of PT treatment, unlike myself, made me nervous that maybe I would be behind all my classmates since I had less of an exposure to PT initially. In addition, I am also a very stressful person, so there’s also that. 5. How would you explain your experience throughout PT school so far? Key facts about U.S. My experience in PT school so far has been an eye-opener to the lack of Latinos for National diversity and minority representation within the PT field. Being the only Hispanic Heritage Month Hispanic within my cohort, initially I felt overwhelmed to perform at my best, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact- due to wanting to represent my community well, and feeling as if I had to tank/2021/09/09/key-facts-about-u-s- latinos-for-national-hispanic-heritage- study twice as hard to show that I deserve to be here. Imposture syndrome is month/ real. NPR: Hispanic Heritage 6. In what ways do you think your background, life experiences, and Month 2021 identity/identities impacted (good or bad) you in life? https://www.npr.org/sections/npr- extra/2021/09/15/1033617725/hispanic- Growing up in a Hispanic household in a disadvantaged area in Chicago, heritage-month-2021 I’ve learned to value the importance of family, and became exposed to a lot of diversity. Many individuals from my community also could not afford Why do we celebrate certain healthcare treatments like PT. Due to this, majority of my family and Hispanic Heritage neighbors have either ignored referrals for physical therapy, or tried to find Month? a more “affordable”, less effective treatment they feel or heard will work. https://www.wbir.com/article/news/hist ory/why-america-celebrates-hispanic- This is something that I aim to make an impact with becoming a Physical heritage-month/51-10e30694-8974- Therapist, so that more Hispanics and other minorities can realize the 4e9d-9edd-6ac823b41847 importance of PT. Also, being able to speak and comprehend Spanish has allowed me to build deeper connections with individuals with Spanish as their only language. 2 Gregory Adams, SPT ‘22, Daniel Barajas, SPT ‘22, Dr. Dawn Brown, PT, D.P.T , Cara Cazier, SPT ‘21, Garrett Duffin, SPT ’23 , Mishka Harrisingh, SPT ‘23 , Megan McConnell, SPT ‘21 , Ryan McKnight SPT '22, Hector Uriostegui, SPT ‘22, Dominique Velazquez, Pre-PT , Quintin Wynne, SPT ‘23 .