Susan
Welcome to Who We Are Inside. Today we have an incredible guest, Monica Ruiz, who is the Executive Director of Casa San Jose. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and has Latino roots from Guatemala and Puerto Rico. Her humanitarian work and passion for helping others began as a case manager for Catholic charities, which led her to intern at Casa San Jose in 2014. She holds a bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh with a concentration in psychology, and a master's degree in social work focusing on community organizing and social action from the University of Pittsburgh. Following her academic accomplishments, Monica completed the Lead Now Pittsburgh Fellowship, a transformational leadership program for the civic sector, and since then has received many awards and recognitions for her work. Monica advocates for minority communities in Pittsburgh, and welcomes all from the Western Pennsylvania region by serving on several regional and statewide boards, as well as the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, and the City of Pittsburgh City Planning Commission. Monica, welcome.

Monica
Thank you.

Susan
Monica, you shared with us that being a first-generation Latina has had its twists and turns, and you couldn't be happier about your life's journey. You grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Now you're in Pittsburgh, doing work at Casa San Jose. Tell us your story. What led you here?

Monica
Sure. So I think it's a very similar story to people that end up here. Love brings you places. My husband was working here, and so it was time to move here. So when I came here, I thought, well, how different could Pittsburgh really be? It's only two hours away from Cleveland, and I just thought, well, I think this is going to be a great place. And then I got here, and I could not imagine how different it was. It was about 18 years ago that I got here, and at that time, the population was even smaller than what it is right now. And for a major city, we're already, today, less than 3%, which is small for a major city. So 18 years ago was pretty small. And so I remember when I first got here, it was culture shock, and I kept telling my husband, let's go back. Let's go back. And he said, no, I think that there's a lot of work that needs to be done here. And then I specifically remember him saying, and you like a good challenge, don't you? And here I am, 18 years later.

Susan
Oh my goodness. Wow. Thank you for sharing that. And I guess your husband's idea of you loving a good challenge, your work has lived up to that, I'm sure. It has exceeded the expectations. So that leads us to another question I had, which are, what are the one or two things you wish Pittsburghers knew about the challenges faced by Latino and Latina newcomers to Pittsburgh?

Monica
What I really like for people to understand is that this city prides itself on being a city, and the steel mills, and all of the wonderful things that we see every day here. And this is just a new wave of immigrants that are coming. And they're coming for the same exact reasons that our Italian neighbors came, and our Polish neighbors came. I mean, during that time, it was really hard for them as well. And just because it was terrible for our older generation of folks that came here before, doesn't mean that it has to continue to be terrible for the people that are coming now. And that so much of our future really depends on the growth of the immigrant population. Our county's population has been steadily declining for over 50 years, and the only population that's growing is the immigrant population. And so you're seeing it. Two days ago, I was on this little tour. I went out to Westmoreland County, and Washington County, and up in Beaver, and talking to people there. And it's the same thing. They're saying, we have large corporations that want to come and build their centers here, but we don't have people to work in them. And at the same time, they're losing businesses, they're losing their main streets because of population decline. And in some of the places that I mentioned, they are starting to see some of this immigrant population come about, and see the value and benefit of it. But it's not everybody is seeing that, and I just wish that more people would understand what that really means, too. Not just like Pittsburgh, the city, but more rural areas as well. Yeah.

Adriana
So Monica, I can't thank you enough for being here with us today. It's my pleasure to talk about your work, because I know you're a pioneer. And one thing that it's always a concern when we provide any type of care, healthcare, or any law, service, anything to this population is the language barrier. So can you give us like some existing methods or strategies that CASA and you in particular, you have been working to make sure this population is included and we can provide better service to them?

Monica
Absolutely. And I look at you and I'm like, and you've been doing a lot of this work along my side. So it's really great to be here with you too, because you not only know this work, but you've also been a part of it. So I'm really, it's an honor to be here with you. So one of the things that we do at CASA is a lot of advocacy, because these are things that many organizations and institutions by law should be providing, and they're just not. And I think that at the larger level, these institutions know that they have to provide this information, these services, but once it gets down to like the person that greets you at the desks, that's where it's just not being met. And then when you deny language services to somebody that doesn't speak the language, it's very hard for them to complain and know their rights that they're supposed to have it. So advocacy is key because we need to change the way that things operate, number one. Number two, I also recognize that here in Pittsburgh, there are very few people that can navigate both languages and the culture and have positions to work in different places to help people in that fashion. And so until this region can kind of build up that workforce, we have to think outside the box. And so some of the things that we've been able to do is that we've been able to provide some services in home, in CASA, within our four walls. And so partnering with like the county, Allegheny County, they, you know, some of our families need help in getting services for whatever reason, might need a car seat or know where to get diapers or food pantries or those types of things. And so instead of having folks go to those offices where they really don't have anybody that's going to be able to help them, we have a contract where they come with us and then we provide these services within the community. We also work a lot with our unhoused population and homelessness looks a little different for our community than it does for everyone else. And so allowing us to provide those services really makes our families, it sets them up to be more successful in the long run. So there's little things like that that we can do. And then I think the other thing that we really try to do is the case management component of things because we are not everything, you know, and so the goal is for that, anybody in this region can go into any building and get any service that they want. And in order to do that, people need to know that when you go to a certain place, you have the right to ask for an interpreter. And so we do a lot of hand-holding to teach people their rights and do that. So I think that's helped tremendously with the language access component of educating both our community that it's their right and then other institutions and organizations that it's their legal responsibility to provide those things.

Adriana
Another aspect of CASA that I really admire is the fact that when the immigrants come, they don't really understand the need of documents, the legal service, social security, and all this basic documentation. And I know for sure we've seen a lot of patients from CASA that you really hold their hands and you take them and even help to apply for medical insurance and dental insurance. So would you say that this work is more done by your volunteers outside CASA or do you have a structure that allow you to help everybody that will come to your door?

Monica
Yeah, so our staff has grown quite a bit and it's because of the needs that have grown and the population that has grown. So I think that initially we used a lot of volunteers to do the work and now it's a lot more of our staff. We do heavily rely on our volunteers. I think we have 100 active volunteers per month. And there's only 35 staff. So I think it's a mix of both.

Susan
I'm curious, what are some of the things that the volunteers can do?

Monica
There's anything. So right now we have a lot of volunteers with our ESL class. So we have, I think this latest enrollment was 300 students. So we're hosting classes three times a year, fall, spring, and summer. And last year it was about 800 students in total. And I'm anticipating that this fiscal year will be more. So a lot of volunteers do that. And we have volunteers accompanying people to appointments or teaching them how to ride the bus or helping them fill out forms or taking them to schools to help them with their IEP or whatever it might be. We have a lot of fun too. So we have volunteers that come. The kids are the funnest. So we just had our back to school bash and we had folks volunteering there. Because Santa Claus is real, Santa Claus called to make sure that he knew when our Christmas party was because he's also being solicited to be at other places. And so it's just amazing. My kids volunteer all the time. And for service hours, I'm like, well, don't you want to go anywhere else? And they're like, no, this is fun. And the kids did at the back to school bash, they had these little solo cups on the table and they had a chancla and they just had a chancla. Where did you guys come up with this stuff? But yeah, we have summer camps. There's stuff to do at Casa. We have volunteers that help us sometimes. We had a really great volunteer that helped us redo our website. Yeah, so you could volunteer an hour a year at Casa or you can volunteer an hour a day. It's up to you.

Susan
And your website is beautiful. So that was great work. I have a follow-up question. So I'm thinking about someone like myself who took Spanish in high school and didn't really keep up with it. And so probably would have a language barrier in terms of communication. Are there any, A, volunteering activities that maybe don't require fluency in Spanish? And then, B, are there any resources that you have recommended for folks who want to improve their Spanish so they can be more engaged and active in volunteerism or just being in the community?

Monica
Yeah, so you don't have to be fully bilingual to volunteer at any of the programs. I think there's some things that if you're going to accompany people that it would be beneficial. But especially with our youth, a lot of the youth speak English, so it's really nice. And then you can practice your Spanish with them and they can practice their English with you. There's that. And then I know that there were, I think Pitt might have a group, but I know that CMU has a group of just that, of folks that want to practice Spanish. They come together like once a week. I think they hold these sessions weekly, but you can come whenever you can. And it's just like we're having coffee and practicing our Spanish. So that's also good. The other thing is that I get interns all the time and interns are like, well, my Spanish isn't that good and I don't know. I'm like, well, let's just give it a try. And usually after the second week, they're like, they're fine. You never know what can come back to you after you are fully immersed in it. But I know that there are some groups that exist around here that can help. I mean, there's also the apps and things like that. But I think that if you really, like you can sit in a classroom all day, but unless you're using it, that's when you're going to get it.

Adriana
Yes. So Monica, if folks wanted to engage more with the Latino community in Pittsburgh, what neighborhoods would you recommend for them to make some connection and maybe restaurants, stores, galleries? We have a lot of options in Pittsburgh. What would you recommend?

Monica
Yeah. So I think that number one, depending on what kind of engagement you would Latinos are really everywhere. I have a map of Allegheny County on the back of my door at work and it's like every day I'm thinking of like, oh, wow, I didn't know that we had a growing population there or over here. But obviously in Beachview where we are, Beachview has got probably the largest and then maybe Brookline right next to it. And if you look at those, and this is kind of going back to what I was talking about earlier, where Beachview was a neighborhood where on Broadway Avenue, all of those buildings were boarded up. There was nothing happening there. And then with the growth, you've got a paleteria, which they have the best ice cream ever. They have Chicken Latino. There's so many restaurants, there's beauty salons, there's barbershops, there's a grocery store. There's, I mean, it's such a vibrant street within itself. And that's not just happening here. It's happening out in Washington County. It's happening out in these other areas where they're seeing a large growth of people. We have a satellite office in Ambridge. And so there's a lot of Latinos in that area too. And they're opening restaurants and they're doing all of these things. I had a meeting with a gentleman yesterday and he said to me, there's a cool taco place that opened up, I forgot where it was, somewhere. And he said, and they told me as long as I order my food in Spanish, they'll give me free food, right? And then he's like, and I've been, he's like, I end up paying anyway just because I want to support their business, but I've been able to practice my Spanish. But it just, it takes that one little thing that you want to do to somebody to have that conversation to really be more, more engaged. And we have, you know, religiously, there's Spanish masses and there's Spanish, you know, different faith-based organizations, you know, like, oh, what is the name of this church? It left me, it'll come back. But anyway, just in whatever capacity you want to be engaged in, you can, but I mean, supporting the businesses would be a great first step. And then if, you know, if there's specific things that people want to get involved in, please call us. If you go on our website, there's a button for become a volunteer. And there's just so many things, so many things that people can do.

Adriana
Well, we are coming up with the Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month. And I'm sure you are planning a lot of activities. So not just educational, but like, just for fun.

Monica
They're all fun. They're all fun. I mean, Latinos, we love food. And I love food. And music and all of those things. Taco Fest is on Saturday. And so we'll be there. And, you know, I think like half of the proceeds that are generated there support our work, which is really amazing. We have an event that we host, the Roberto Clemente event. So Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15. And so it's kind of cool that you can do some things in September, and some in October. But it's an amazing, amazing event too. And that really helps highlight some of the great work that we're doing in our advocacy. And in the name of somebody who is a really great humanitarian here in this area. So those are my two favorite. But I mean, it's like every week you can you can find something. But there's stuff on our website as well. And I'm not sure if people know about the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation. But they also, they really help businesses become businesses. And so they are always celebrating a brand new grand opening of a restaurant or a business or something else. And I think their page looks a little funner than ours. But we're getting there. We're getting there. But they also have really good information. And they're in Beachview as well. So they really have a pulse on what's going on in the community.

Susan
I think, if I may, I would kind of like to take a step back and really understand what what did you experience? Or what was your kind of impetus for getting into this work? If you don't mind sharing?

Monica
No, not at all. Not at all. So we're gonna go away. I never talk about myself. But I think it's funny because I'm like, Oh, wait, no, this is the who you are. Yeah. I wasn't gonna.

Susan
I mean, I would respect if you didn't want to. And I was hoping that you wouldn't mind.

Monica
No, no, no. So my mom was born in Guatemala. And my dad was born in Puerto Rico. And they met in Cleveland, Ohio, which was how I was born there. And, you know, they were immigrants, they were immigrants from from their perspective places. And, you know, worked really, really hard to do the best that they could for for their family. And so I went to a Catholic school. And I mean, you're young, and those are your formative years, and you, you only know what is in front of you. And so my parents got divorced when I was five. And so, you know, there was already struggles starting to happen there. And so and as a young child, you don't know what's going on, you just see all these changes happening. And, and so I really heavily relied on the nuns at the school, right. And so, and they were so nice. And they were always worried about the family, they were always trying to help out. And I was just like, man, when I grew up, I want to be a nun. That did not work out well for me. And so, but so I think from a very young age, I wanted to be in the helping field. And then also seeing, you know, my mom struggled with mental health issues her entire life. My father was an alcoholic. And so I saw a lot of things at a young age that, to me, were normal, and then realizing that they're not normal, right. And so, but because you grow up in that environment, it kind of opens your eyes to see things a little different. And you can connect better with people, because you have the lived experience. And so when I was in Cleveland, I worked at Catholic charities. And at first, I worked with women that were coming out of incarceration. And so I'd help them reunite with their children and find jobs and homes. And I really liked that. And I always said, I don't want to work in the mental health field, because I lived it my whole life. But then I somehow ended up in that field with Catholic charities. And I worked with the youth, Latino youth. And I don't know, I obviously was really good at it. And there was just something there that was like, this is it. This is it. This is your life's work. You're going to do this. You're going to do that. And so at that time, I visited Guatemala for the first time as an adult. So I got to see it through a different lens. And then I started to think about the poverty there. And why does this level of poverty, like we grew up poor, right? But what I saw there was a different level. And so why does this exist? And I wanted to know why. And then I, you know, I love to read. And so I started learning more about like, governments in different countries, and especially the role that the United States has had in playing in the negative outcomes of different governments and things in different countries. And I just thought, this is terrible, we need something needs to happen. And so, you know, finished up my schooling and, and then started thinking about because, you know, when you're working directly with people, every day, every day, somebody comes to the office that needs food, diapers, housing, whatever. And every day, we're going to provide those services every single day. But eventually, we need to figure out why we're living in a society and a system that doesn't allow for people to provide these things for themselves. And so I want to focus on that change. And so when I at Pitt, you have this, it's two tracks. So you can go into practice, which is like therapy and counseling. And then there's the macro level work. And I was torn at that time, because there were very few to no people here doing like the counseling and therapy here in Pittsburgh, which is what something I thought I would always do. But I took a class that a professor, Tracy Susco, he changed my life. It was an economics class. And that was starting to answer a lot of those questions of why poverty exists and all of these things. And so I said, Yeah, yeah, I will still every day feed someone. But I need to start focusing on on how we're going to just not help that one person, but all people.

Susan
I love that so much. I'm so glad. I have chills that that was thank you so much for sharing. And I think, you know, Adriana and I are both healthcare providers. And I think that what you are saying really speaks to at least my reason, but I imagine part of Adriana's reason for going into education, is that like, I could help one patient at a time, or I can educate the next generation who are going to help 1000s of patients at the same time. Yeah, you have to be a little audacious to want to do it. But I think that that there's a lot of work to be done. And I'm glad that you like, took up that mantle. That's huge. Thank you.

Adriana
I think when you look at the global solutions, it's so hard. And sometimes it feels like we are not making any progress. But if you look back what you we had in Pittsburgh, and what we have now, I think we made a lot of progress. So do you have any stories of success that you could share with us, a family or a situation that you really helped? And you're like, well, it's not just helping this family, this person, but we are moving forward with the global goal of changing things.

Monica
Maybe not a particular family, but I can talk about a particular situation. So, again, I grew up in Cleveland, and I grew up in a really diverse neighborhood. And so there was just people from all over the place all over the world. And you know, I didn't know that that wasn't normal until I moved out of there and realized that it wasn't, that I was very lucky to live in that type of environment. And so when I moved here to Pittsburgh, it was a little difficult. I mean, I was an adult, I spoke both languages, I was born in this country. And so to hear some of the things that I heard directed at me were a little hard to take in. But nonetheless, I started to think about that, like, why are these sentiments so deeply rooted here? And then I also noticed, and I didn't know anything about Pittsburgh before we moved here. And so we moved into the South Hills, because that was a house that we could afford, no other reason. And at that point, there were no Latinos there either. And so there I was. But I noticed that every day that I left my house, I only saw white neighbors. I never saw anything else, nothing else. And so I asked my husband, I said, where do all the African-American people live here? Because I didn't think I was going to find anybody that looked like me. So what was the next thing I was accustomed seeing, right? And he was like, well, they live in Pittsburgh, but it's like, Pittsburgh is really segregated and all this stuff. And I'm like, what? Oh, man. So when I went to school at Pitt, then I learned about the Hill District, like all of these terrible things that have happened to our African-American brothers and sisters. And I started to think, oh, man, okay, well, during that time too, you know, you hear that go back to where you came from, it's from whoever and whatever. And it's like, whatever. But when an African-American male said that to me, I was like, wait a minute. No, wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, no, no. I want to talk to you about this, right? I don't, I'm not going to blow it off. I'm not going to, whatever. And we had a very brief conversation about what he was seeing in his neighborhood, where, you know, people, gentrification at that time was starting to happen. And so what he was seeing is like people that look like me working on these homes when there are very highly skilled African-American people that can do these jobs as well, and they're not getting the jobs, right? So that's the conversation I want to have, right? I can talk that conversation. So, but, you know, just getting to wrap my head around that. So anyway, to say that is at that time I was working with the youth at Casa. I wasn't the executive director. And so it was also during the time where there were a lot of Black Lives Matter movements happening. And so we, I got the high school kids together. It was Latino youth or whatever. And I started talking to them about, you know, like injustices for people of color and what it looks like in this country and outside of the country and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. And so that they're also learning because they're new to this country and not knowing what that looks like. And, and also trying to understand that we can find allies and people that don't look like us and how we can come together and build solidarity. And so there was a young man, Tamir Rice. And when that, I remember when the verdict came out at the courthouse, that we knew it was going to come out that day. And so, and we had talked a lot about it, but, you know, there was going to be a huge protest and all these things were going to happen. And a lot of these youth are undocumented. And the night before I was getting calls from them and their parents saying they wanted to go. And I was like, okay, well, we're just going to go, we're going to be careful and we're going to do it. But it was the most powerful experience that I've had here because I didn't do that. They did that. And they, from what they learned is that an injustice for that young man is an injustice for them. And they risked getting arrested and deported because they wanted to show their solidarity. And it was, that is, if I do nothing else, we had 12 kids there that risked their freedom for this young man. And I think because of that, it led me to create this program called the Cross-Cultural Program, where we have 20 Latino leaders, youth leaders, and 20 African-American youth leaders. And for two years now, they've been coming together, doing the same thing, learning about one another's cultures, celebrating the differences, but identifying the similarities and learning how. I think that solidarity was going to come eventually. Eventually it was going to be there, but I didn't want to wait for eventually. And so creating the space for them to learn and appreciate one another has been, that group is, my kids are a part of that group too because it's older teens. And then I decided to go on a trip to Chicago on a bus with them. Oh no. I came back like if I had just left the combat zone. I was like, I need a week to recuperate. But it was beautiful. It was so wonderful. We went to the D'Youssefville African-American History Art Museum and they had so many questions and they learned. And we went to the Mexican-American Art History Museum and we ate at a Mexican restaurant. It was just amazing. It was, you know, but now they're at that level. Now the kids are like, they took over the program. They're the ones picking out what they're going to do and how they're going to do. And again, when you put two cultures together that haven't historically been together, one of two things can happen. It could go really bad or it can go really good. And so I think taking that step to make it good is also something that I'm really, really proud of. So thank you for asking. You guys are really getting into these questions. That was, I think, my favorite so far.

Susan
And for those who may just be listening and not watching, I mean, Monica's face is glowing. Like it was just, sunshine was emanating from your cheeks as you were speaking. And I just, that feeling, I, yes, like when things actually work and you're seeing the change. And I think that is so, so beautiful and good for them for taking it over. You know, I think one thing that I thought about when you were talking about those 12 students who protested is that, and you said specifically they were willing to give up their freedom for this cause. And I feel like there is no more American thing that anyone can do than that. Like, I think if you read any like whitewashed history book, it would be, you know, we are sacrificing our freedom for this. And so I feel like I love that you use that language because, you know, I think that of course now in this current season, you know, there's a lot of debates about what is American and I truly cannot think of a more American thing. And, you know, in that sense, I would identify them as being more American than myself because I've never had to risk that. Right. And so I really appreciate you sharing that story. And I hope, are you able to stay in touch with, with people? Like, do you have a network and a like alumni network of folks?

Monica
Absolutely. Those, one of the gentlemen now, I mean, they're in their early twenties now. Yeah. Actually was working for us for quite some time.

Susan
Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah.

Monica
Some of them are still in college and I mean, they're just around, they're there and, you know, learn from that really beautiful experience and aren't just keeping it to themselves. They're talking to other people about it as well. Very important. Yeah.

Adriana
One thing that I would like to ask is, because you have this passion about your work and how do you keep people engaged and motivated to keep doing when things get really hard? So what's your formula for success when you were like, man, this is so hard to navigate and I need to be a role model for my team, for my kids, for my youth. So how do you do that? Where do you get this strength from?

Monica
I think in several ways. And so I really, I believe that the world can be a better place. And I believe that it's going to happen with the work of a lot of wonderful, amazing people. And so when I get tired, I just look at the people, like my own children and my husband, who's an immigrant or anyone and just say, like, it's easier for people to do something for someone else than it is for you to do it for yourself. So having those constant reminders are just what puts you forward. And the other thing is that I'm really invested in, I live in this community, I work in this community, I grocery shop in this community, I go to church in this community. And having those direct relationships with people are what help keep me focused and grounded. Because I'm not an immigrant. I've never been documented, right? And that's a lot of the work that I do is trying to change those systems. But I don't want, I want, at the end of the day, for every opportunity that is available to all of my neighbors that don't look like me, to be available to all of my neighbors that look like me, whether they were born here, whether they speak the language, whatever it might be. That's the type of world that I want to create. And sometimes you get tired. But I want that change so bad. And I'm not going to do it myself. But I promise you, I'm going to leave one little seed. And that's going to go somewhere maybe in 20 years, 30 years, 50 years from now. So that's what I keep going. I got to find a seed. I think that's a metaphor that a lot of folks use.

Susan
We had another guest on who talked about that he wants to be a seeder and a waterer. And he's okay if he doesn't sit beneath the shade of the tree that comes from it. And yeah, thank you for being, for planting your seed. And I think it's like blind optimism, right? It's like, not blind. I guess that's the wrong word I'm thinking about. But like just defiant optimism. I think that's what the way I want to put it. It's like, yeah, I realize the stakes are really high and we could just give up and I'm not going to do that. I'm just not going to do it.

Monica
It's a do it. I've always done, you have to do things. You just have to get them done. I'm the oldest. I'm a Leo. I'm really hardheaded. You do these things because you see that they need to be done and I'm not going to sit around and wait for someone else. If not you, then who? Who's going to do it? That's right. That's right.

Susan
Well, I'm curious, in thinking about sort of right now, and this is fall of 2024, what are the challenges that you're thinking about in terms of creating a fully inclusive environment for Latinos in Pittsburgh? I think we're all aware that we're on the heels of an election that could change a lot of things.

Monica
And so I think that regardless of the outcome of the election, things for the people that I serve, the problems aren't going to be solved regardless of, right? And so a lot of the issues that we see are coming from the unknown and people just, again, Pittsburgh has been a city of immigrants and, but the immigrants used to kind of blend in together. That's right. We look really different, you know? And so, and we don't want to blend. I like who I am. I really like who I am and I don't want to, you know, be somebody else, you know? But I'm also an American and I'm proud of that too. And so I think that if we just had, I always say we've got to change hearts and minds, hearts and minds, hearts and minds, and we're not going to do that by everybody just sitting inside their homes and watching TV all day and seeing all of the things that are true and untrue that they watch on TV, right? And I think that, I like the question that you asked about, you know, how can people get involved and coming to our events and our festivals and learning and being around people? I mean, I have so many stories of so many incredible people who have come to this country and with a dollar and a dream and, you know, have done so many amazing things. I mean, but I don't want to only just highlight those people. I think everybody has value and everybody is worthy. And I just, I really wish that people could see the beauty in everyone and in everything and not feel afraid or intimidated or unsure of what somebody is doing and just see the value of what people bring. I don't know how to frame it. I just, I just, I wish that there wasn't so much hate, but I honestly believe that the hate stems from just not knowing. Maybe I'm a little bit naive. I don't know.

Susan
But I think you're right. I mean, I think that that's a big part of what CuPID is about, is about sharing these stories so that we can get to know one another a little bit better. And the way that we do that isn't necessarily asking people to physically come together, because we recognize that sometimes that's hard for many reasons, right? But if you're willing to sit and listen to a podcast or you're willing to, you know, take a course and watch interviews of people who have lived experiences different from your own, hopefully we can change hearts, change minds, because I'm with you. I think that that's where, that's where it has to start, that all of the services that you talked about are really crucial and help people get through their lives right now. But the only way your services will no longer be needed at the level that they're needed is if people recognize that those services should just be endemic in our communities. And that's changing hearts and minds. Mm-hmm. We had somebody on the podcast, Mario Brown, who said that if he did his job well, he would work himself out of a job. He's the Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion for the School of Pharmacy. And I see you nodding, so that's how you feel as well.

Monica
Absolutely. I say that to our team at least once a month.

Susan
Till you find the next thing, the next thing to be planted, because the work's never done. But yeah, I think you've hit it. And yeah, I think that's it. I really do. I guess one other thing, and Adriana, please chime in, because I feel like you also came here, you're not from Pittsburgh, and you've probably seen and noticed those changes. I'm curious, actually, from your perspective, what has it been like for you when you first came to Pittsburgh versus now? What are the changes that you're seeing?

Adriana
I always consider Pittsburgh like my home. For some reason, I love Pittsburgh. And I feel when I go to other cities, I can feel the vibe at the airport, right? When I come back, I feel like I'm home because people here are so special. And I think I really agree with Monica that it's like a little bit of fear of the unknown. They've never been exposed, just because they have been sheltered. And what I feel nowadays at the Pitt community and all the suburbs as well, for example, I live in the north, I feel Cranberry just has so many Latinos now. It's just amazing. They have stores, they have restaurants, and people are exposed more. So they start liking the different aspects of the culture. And they are like, oh, this food is so good. This dance is so nice. I love this music. And what happened before, they were never exposed to it. So I think the way we are progressing every day, as I see, is we have more exposure and more acceptance. So the more we are accepted, the more we open our hearts to show ourselves more. And that's just a good cycle that we just keep doing and bringing more people to be part of our community.

Monica
What do you think? I think you're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. Yeah.

Adriana
Thank you so much for being here. It's an honor to be talking to you and trying to raise some awareness about your work. And is there anything that you want to recommend or tell our listeners?

Monica
I love podcasts. I think they're amazing, just because you can hear them anywhere. I just sometimes put them on and do my gardening or anything. It's just great to keep nourishing your minds. And to any listener, just to highly encourage you to continue to do these things. I think education and the access to it now is way different from when I was growing up. And take advantage of these opportunities. And whatever you learn, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with the people that you love, because you never know. You never know who might need some watering.

Susan
Yes, yes, yes. Thank you so, so much for being here with us today and for all of the work that and CASA are doing for our community. We really, really appreciate you.

Monica
Thanks for having me. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Music
♪ I still have stories to tell ♪ ♪ I feel ♪ ♪ I still have stories to tell ♪