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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

When I heard we were writing about Hispanic Heritage month this week, I knew instantly what I was going to write about—well, rather WHO I was going to write about. My La Marisol. 

Marisol is someone I’ve known since I was a little girl. I never realized when the transition went from someone who simply works with my dad to one of our closest family friends. Marisol opened us all to the world of hispanic heritage. Ever since I was little, she’s always had new Spanish music for me to listen to, homemade food for us to try and new words in Spanish to teach me. She even taught us how to order the yummy tacos at trucks. 

I remember a few weeks after my first Spanish class, I was so excited to show Marisol all the Spanish I had learned (granted it was only a handful of verbs that I couldn’t even conjugate at the time). Over time, she became a buddy that I could always practice my Spanish with. She’s even managed to teach my dad a little Spanish—a huge feat if you ask me. 

But my love for Marisol goes far beyond her heritage. She’s been in my life for all the huge milestones, and I’ve gotten to be a part of her and her family’s milestones as well. We got to celebrate her daughter’s quinceanera together—the very first one I had ever been to. Her two daughters are younger than me, so I’ve gotten to watch them grow up through the years. They’ve attended family birthday parties, graduations and dinner parties. 

Marisol is someone who has always been a listening ear for me. She has the best advice that somehow is always exactly what I need to hear at the moment. She knows how to keep the people around her grounded, no matter how chaotic life may be at the moment. She’s always teaching others about the new thing she learned or showing off her beloved plants. She brings a lively energy to every room she walks in, and regardless of how shy she says she is, she always makes an effort to talk to everyone and make them feel welcome in a situation that may be new or uncomfortable. 

Marisol has taught my family and I about her background for years. Our families have grown together even with our many differences. Every day we are able to learn more about the hispanic heritage, whether it be through the language, the food, the music or the culture. 

Rhea Sarkaria is a new member of the St. Bonaventure University Her Campus chapter. Rhea is from Cary, North Carolina and is studying Biology at SBU. She plans to attend medical school in the future. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, going shopping, and is always down to try somewhere new to eat. She is also a huge Dr. Pepper and Bollywood movie fanatic. Outside of Her Campus, Rhea is a part of SBU Asian Students in Action and SBU ASBMB. In the past, she has done a lot of volunteering in the healthcare field. This includes working as a nursing aide at a nursing home, volunteering in the surgery department of a local hospital in NC, and working with a non-profit serving patients without insurance.