4.26.24

WSU faculty member goes above and beyond to serve Wichita’s Peruvian community

On March 8, el día de la mujer – International Women’s Day, the Peruvian consulate in Dallas recognized Wichita State professor Rocio del Águila as a peruana que resuelve– a woman who gets the job done. 

Del Águila, who teaches in the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures department in the Fairmount College, has lived in the U.S. for nearly two decades, but she still remembers the laborious and lengthy immigration process required to obtain citizenship. 

“You’re expected to travel across states to receive notarial services, civil registry documents and visa assistance,” del Águila said. “But the alternative is traveling thousands of miles back to Peru, which is not feasible.” 

When the consulate announced in 2021 that they would be traveling through the surrounding area to make their services more accessible to immigrants, del Águila coordinated with the office to facilitate their travels, making hotel reservations and communicating with the Peruvian community in Wichita to spread the word. 

“Community organization is essential for immigrants,” said del Águila. “So, the more people who know about the resources at their disposal, the better.” 

Del Águila’s passion for community has9 already set her apart as a woman who gets the job done at Wichita State, where she has “built her village” since starting in 2013. The professor serves as advisor for Latinas Poderosas Unidas and co-advisor for Spanish Honor Society and Hispanic American Leadership Organization. She also provides basic Spanish lessons to faculty members through Corbin Connect, as part of Wichita State’s outreach initiative as an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution. Her recognition as a peruana que resuelve honors her contributions to serving and lifting up the Peruvian community. 

“I see it as our responsibility to empower one another,” she said. “When you arrive in a new country, you don’t have a family, so you find one. There is no path laid for you; you must make it yourself.”