HOHENFELS, Germany -- Hohenfels honored the culture and contributions of Hispanic Americans at a festive National Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, recently.
Keynote speaker Cristina Echevarria, Hohenfels Middle/High School principal, shared the inspiring story of her family's struggle to live the American dream, beginning with her father's migration from Puerto Rico to the tomato fields of New York in an effort to support his wife and 10 children.
"I know I was a happy child, attending school, there was food on the table, but only mom and dad knew the hardships we were really going through," she said.
In 1951, the family reunited in New York, where they maintained their Hispanic culture while simultaneously assimilating the American culture around them.
"We spoke Spanish at home and English outside. We were proud of our heritage and proud to be Americans," Echevarria said.
Echevarria and seven of her siblings went on to formal education, and between them and their children and grandchildren, her family has members all over the world serving in the military, and in the fields of aviation, engineering, health, justice and business.
"From our humble beginnings of carrying a cooking pot in the streets of New York City, our family continues to live the American dream and contribute to our nation's success," she said.
Her story is not unique, and reflects the struggles and successes of countless immigrants who have positively influenced and enriched America.
"We celebrate the heritage of different ethnicities to encourage diversity and inclusion," said Sgt. 1st Class Bradley Beazer, Joint Multinational Readiness Center Equal Opportunity advisor. "It is a time to pull the community together and show the best of what each ethnicity has to offer."
Volunteers prepared home-cooked dishes from a variety of Hispanic countries, and a quintet of high school students performed a lively Latin-American dance number. Carolynn Torres led a high-energy Zumba performance which ended with virtually the entire assembly joining in.
"This is really a celebration in diversity, and it's something that we should have going on all year long," said Col. Thomas Mackey, Joint Multinational Readiness Center commander.
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