insightful quotes

If you've come to help me you're wasting your time, but if you've come
because your liberation is tied up with mine, then let us work
together."                                    ~Lila Watson

"The most common way people give up their power is by 
thinking they don’t have any."     ~Alice Walker

"If people don't have their own vision, 
    all they can do is "sign up" for someone else's.  
          The result is compliance, not commitment."
                                              ~Senge

"Change in the middle looks like failure."    ~Kaleel Jamison

"In the journey to social justice, small steps sometimes lead 
to unexpected leaps of progress."             ~Robert Thurman

"Those who think it's a level playing field usually have box seats." 
                                                         ~Anon                                   

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways
you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all 
the people you can, as long as you ever can.  ~John Wesley

"Touching the present moment is the door to everything."
                                              ~Thich Nhat Hanh
 
"Cut your chains and you are free, cut your roots and you die." 
                                              ~African Proverb

Cutting your chains is a liberation attempt, cutting your roots is a
suicide attempt.                         ~Nana

"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion."      
                                              ~Ethiopian Proverb

"The true meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade 
you do not expect to sit."           ~Nathaniel Henderson-

No ray of sunlight is ever lost, but the grain which it awakes into 
existence needs time to grow; and it is not always granted to the sower 
to see the harvest. All work that is worth anything is done in faith.
                                              ~Albert Schweitzer 

Multicultural Liaison Officer

CRISTOBAL SALINAS JR.

Multicultural Liaison Officer
Academic Adviser
International & Design Open

Degrees and expertise
BA, University of Nebraska, Kearney, Spanish Education and English as a Second Language
MEd, Iowa State University, Higher Education/Student Affairs

About Cristobal
Cristobal Salinas Jr. is the College of Design's multicultural liaison officer (MLO). He works directly with prospective and current students from diverse backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented groups.

Cristobal can help you find resources to inform your decision about attending Iowa State University, such as university-wide programs and services as well as programs and services within the College of Design that cater specifically to the needs of multicultural students. This includes information on scholarships, student organizations and academic support. Once you arrive at Iowa State for your first year, Cristobal can guide you through the application process at the end of your Core experience with workshops and one-on-one support.

In addition to his duties as MLO and an academic adviser, Cristobal serves on the college and university diversity committees, the Fraternal-Hazing National Associate Member Education Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Search Committee.

Cristobal graduated from Schuyler Central High School in Schuyler, Nebraska, where he participated in student government, speech, drama (one-act plays) and choir. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Education and English as a Second Language with a minor in dance from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2010, and in May 2012 he completed his Master's in Education degree in Higher Education/Student Affairs with an emphasis in student affairs and leadership and learning from Iowa State.

Before joining the College of Design in late November 2011, Cristobal was a George Washington Carver graduate assistant in the ISU Office of Multicultural StudentAffairs and the coordinator for the ISU Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies' 2011 Interview Days. He is a member of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity.

Cristobal previously interned in the office of U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet of Colorado during summer 2009, and State University of New York-Brockport doing leadership development and social justice training during summer 2011. He danced for Center Stage Dance Company in Schuyler, Nebraska, and taught Spanish courses at Elsik High School in Houston during the 2009-2010 academic year.

What led you to become an MLO?
I wanted to work at the university level to help educate and influence students to pursue a higher education.

What are some of the highlights of your role as an MLO?
As a student affairs practitioner and an educator, my goal is to help multicultural college students to increase their success in higher education. I strongly believe that providing academic advising, mentoring, leadership opportunities, and a safe zone where students can express themselves, helps them achieve their full potential and develop their personal and professional identities.

What do you enjoy most about working with prospective students?
I enjoy helping students to discover and create future plans. It is rewarding to me when students take leadership roles and succeed at various levels within the university or their community.  

What is your favorite place on the Iowa State campus?
I enjoy spending time in the Parks Library Reading Room. It's the perfect place for me to read my favorite book, do research and meet with my friends.

What do you do for fun away from campus?
I like to go out for sushi with friends and visit my family in Nebraska. Also, because Ames is so centrally located, I have had the opportunity to travel to Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Iowa City while attending Iowa State.

Retrieved on August 2013 from: http://www.design.iastate.edu/popupHTML/show.php?PID=20 

Things that I do for students outside my job description to ensure their success.

Things that I do for students outside my job description to ensure their success.

1. Arrange student's internships with public agencies and private companies.
2. Arrange the transportation of students to conferences and professional events.
3. Celebrate important dates in the lives of the students at Iowa State University.
4. Collaborate with Native American Nations through educational programs.
5. Delegate for educational scholarships through the ISU Foundation.
6. Deliver medical, sport, and school supplies to rural areas in Latin America.
7. Design informational packages for upcoming freshman and graduate students.
8. Develop and deliver study abroad programs in the design field.
9. Drive students to medical appointments around the state of Iowa.
10. Encourage students to apply for scholarships, fellowships and graduate education.
11. Encourage students to become international entrepreneurs in the design field.
12. Encourage students to organize their curriculum of classes and balance their lives.
13. Encourage the students to participate in student organizations.
14. Establish educational programs in secondary Iowa schools.
15. Establish partnerships with Hispanic Serving Institutions.
16. Extend the network of students through educational trips to Iowa industries.
17. Facilitate courses on diversity dialogues and learning communities.
18. Help in the preparation of cultural dinners for ISU and the Ames community.
19. Help new graduate students search for homes in the city of Ames.
20. Help students who have been dismissed by the university to get back to ISU.
21. Monitor the progress of the students after their dismissal from the university.
22. Motivate the students when they are feeling distressed by the academia.
23. Network with industry personnel to assure careers in the design field.
24. Organize professional seminars for non-traditional students.
25. Organize professional symposiums and conferences for the ISU community.
26. Organize retention oriented activities for the students throughout the year.
27. Participate in national and international student organizations.
28. Partner with science bound to encourage young students to get an education.
29. Produce recruitment information for the college and the office.
30. Promote tolerance for the views of other cultures and their beliefs.
31. Proofread documents, projects, and professional presentations.
32. Provide academic advice to students and their families.
33. Provide the necessary materials for students to be successful at ISU.
34. Provide college materials to students with financial difficulties.
35. Provide information for students through judicial processes.
36. Provide emergency transportation services 24/7 to students and their families.
37. Search, write, and submit grant documents for additional funding.
38. Serve as a listening ear when the students are in need to talk about their situations.
39. Serve as a mediator during conflict management situations.
40. Serve as a translator for agricultural investors from Latin America.
41. Serve as an ambassador for new students coming to Iowa State University.
42. Serve as chair in several diversity committees at Iowa State University.
43. Support the participation of students in professional development areas.
44. Teach students how to be successful at Iowa State University and beyond.
45. Train students to collect, analyze, and present scientific data for symposiums.
46. Translate a variety of documents for the Hispanic population in Ames.
47. Visit families and their children in Iowa rural communities to talk about ISU
48. Visit schools, meet their directors and talk to the students in large auditoriums.
49. Volunteer for the Iowa Games, the Special Olympics, and other events.
50. Write a variety of letters of recommendations to enrich the student's experiences at ISU. 

And many more. . .