- Name:
- Esperanza Antonio Liriano-Caba
- Major:
- Math Education, Spanish Education
- Year:
- Senior
- Home:
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
I guess I am what you would call a "non-traditional" student, in a couple of ways. First, I am a little older than the average student and I am married and have two young children. I wanted to get an education degree and my wife, Bielka, wanted to study civil engineering, but we hoped to raise our kids in a small town. We were thrilled when we discovered Platteville. It's beautiful here, the community is very welcoming, and we are both enrolled in very strong programs.
Some of the most fun I've had here is when I was in the Homecoming parade. I was part of the Student Organization of Latinos (SOL) float, and I walked and danced alongside the float, playing my güira (Caribbean music instrument) down Main Street. I was surprised later when so many people told me they had seen the float and what a great job we did. Also, that night was the first time I saw the lighting of the "M." I thought we might miss it, but we put the kids in the car in their pajamas and got there just in time. What a sight! It's fun participating in campus activities, and I look forward to SOL's Latino Night every year. Last year we had a full band and lessons right on the dance floor which was a blast. Everyone had a great time!
Another way that I'm non-traditional is that English is not my native language. I have to work hard to keep my grades up and be eligible for scholarships, so I have been very grateful for the resources available through Student Support Services on campus. I love going to the Writing Center and Tutoring Services because everyone is so welcoming and willing to help. As long as you put in the effort, people on this campus will always go out of their way to help. I try to give back by doing some tutoring myself at the local middle school. It's my way of saying "thank you."
In the Dominican Republic, where I'm from, there are many sports but the most important of all is baseball. I'm not really involved in organized athletics on campus because of my family commitments, but I take the neighborhood kids out and play whenever I can. There are all kinds of other sports for men and women here at UWP, so if that's what you're interested in, you can surely find it here. But for me, there's only baseball!