- “The Opportunity Center closed on Friday for the season, and now as I reflect on what I have learned from the teachers as well as the kids, I start to wonder what happens to these kids once they leave here. Where do they go while their parents are at work? Will they go to another day care center or just stay at home with their parents. The only thing wanted was for these kids to receive the same love and care, and learning that they had received at the Opportunity Center. The 13 or so adults that had worked at this center had done it not for the money, not for prestige, but simply a love for kids that is hard to find in most people. The center was all about helping people. Not about making them better Americans or Mexicans, just better people, better citizens.”
- “I worked closely with the growers in Adams County. I was distressed at the thought of doing oral histories and prying into another=s life so blatantly. Although, I will say that the oral histories that I did were also the most influential experiences of the Mosaic. I can remember vividly the first night I visited a migrant camp. I was frightened of the murder rumors and the farm-workers. I left that evening with a lasting impression of the treatment of farm-workers in the area. It is rare that my opinion is ever changed, yet my oral history with two growers was profoundly different than my first experience at the camp that cold, September night. I saw the pressures and stress that a farmer undertakes when entering the fruit growing business.”
- “Compared to my last Qualitative interview experience with Dickinson College Professors, I found that for this project I had to work much harder to make people feel comfortable and trusting of what I was researching. The experience has been great for me and I have better understanding of the county in which I grew up in. I am grateful for my participation in the American Mosaic Project and will be able use the ethnographic research experience in Grad-School, a human services related job, and as a resident in a community.”
- “When I registered for the American Mosaic class I was excited to be working with the migrant farm workers of Adams County. I had not been abroad and I felt that being in this class would give me a great chance to do some ethnographic research. I was a little nervous because I don’t speak Spanish and I thought that it would be a problem. It turned out to be a disadvantage when I tried to talk with migrants. However, it was not too bad. The best part of the entire American Mosaic class was that we were able to interact with an entirely different culture and people. I got to see how the Hispanic community lives and survives. It was a great experience to go on home visits and see actual living conditions. I was able to interact with a group of amazing children at Rural Opportunities Inc. I established wonderful relationships with all of them. . Even though the majority of the Hispanic population in Adams County is living in poverty they are the happiest people I have ever been in contact with. They are so warm and caring towards each other and their family members. They were so hospitable towards us when we went to visit them. It just proves that money doesn’t provide happiness. I am glad that I participated in the program and I would recommend it to any student that is looking for a challenge as well as an amazing experience working with different cultures.”