glorila nò (Dbseruer
Page 8
June 6, 2012
Haitian Roots
c o n t i n u e d f r o m front
♦
and during that time discovered
his family was alive and safe.
"Not only knowing, but being
able to see that my family was
okay; that was all that m attered to
me at that time," Estanis said. "I
spent the rest of the time working
in hospitals and under tents with
the team, translating and helping
in any possible way I could. Being
on the ground with a group of
devoted people who can assist
my com m unity with their medical
needs, and being there to facili
tate that, was a big accom plish
ment for me; it's always good to
give back to the com m unity."
Today, Estanis is giving som e
thing back at Portland Commu-
nity College, too. He is the stu
dent speaker for PCC's 50th gradu
ation cerem ony at 7 p.m., Friday,
June 15, at M em orial Coliseum .
As the college caps its dia
mond anniversary celebrations, a
total o f 4,200 degrees, certificates
and awards will be handed out
and about 700 students are plan
ning to walk in front of thousands
of friends, family and com m unity
members.
"It will be a great honor for me to
have the opportunity to share my
story with so many others who at
one point or another in their lives
have struggled to accomplish their
dreams," Estanis said. "My story
might be different from students
who are graduating this year, but I
know for a fact that we al 1 have gone
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Ewald Estanis, with his flag of Haiti, marched with fellow Portland Community College students in
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through so many barriers and diffi
culties in our journeys in order to be
part of the PCC class of 2012."
The native o f Les Cayes, Haiti
said he will tell his story o f assist
ing international aid organizations
in his country which led to him
meeting Gail Buck and Angelina
Sams o f Healing Hands for Haiti.
From there, on their encourage
m ent and his desire to study
abroad, he traveled to Portland in
2009 to attend PCC as a business
major.
"In spite of m any, many ob
stacles, Ewald has persevered and
succeeded," said Ju lie K opet,
dean o f instruction at the South
east Center and Estanis' nom ina
tor for graduation speaker. "I know
that students, faculty and fam i
lies will be moved by his struggles
a n d h is o v e rc o m in g th o se
struggles to become a leader and
stellar member of the PCC alumni."
Kopet is right. Estanis, whose
father passed away when he was
17 and was raised by his mother,
has cultivated a 3.5 grade-point
average while at PCC. The bumps
in adapting to a new country were
sm oothed from the support he got
at the college from instructors and
staff, from D istrict P resid en t
Preston Pulliam s and Southeast
President Craig Kolins, and from
many others.
As a result, he has risen through
the ranks of the student govern
ment Leadership Program to be
come the student body president
o f the Southeast Center. As part
o f his service, he got to meet with
U.S. Senator Jeff M erkley and
other elected officials recently in
W ashington, D.C.
Once he leaves PCC, Estanis
plans to earn a bachelor degree in
business with a m inor in political
science to allow him to set up
businesses in Haiti and the United
States. He is currently working on
his first book, and even has plans
to run for elected office in Haiti.
"I want to see what I can do for
my com m unity," he added. "To
me giving back to the com m unity
doesn't necessarily mean you have
to be president, but you have to
be a responsible citizen. I want to
run for my town's elected office,
because I believe we have enough
resources to satisfy the needs of
my people. All we need now is to
have ju st the right people in the
right places. And my experience
in Am erica gives me a bigger vi
sion of how prosperous my w on
derful Haiti can be if all citizens
contribute."