There’s one message Dr. Begoña Caballero-García shares with all of her students.
“People shouldn’t be valued based on their job, title, wealth or position. Their value is determined by how they make other people feel,” says Caballero-García, a Spanish professor at Wofford and 2023 recipient of the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities’ Excellence in Teaching award.
Caballero-García and Diana Farfán Valente, a sculptor and ceramics instructor at Wofford, put this principle into practice on Wednesday, Nov. 29, by honoring a few of the college’s unsung heroes — its Latina housekeepers. The group was recognized at an event showcasing the works of 10 talented female artists and writers from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The exhibit, “A Gender Line: A Multidisciplinary Show of Female Artists and Writers,” is on display through Friday, Dec. 8, in the Richardson Family Art Gallery in the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts. It explores the impact of gender-based societal expectations and restrictions on the growth and recognition of women. It is supported by Wofford’s Studio Art Program, Cultural Affairs Committee and the University of South Carolina Upstate’s South Carolina Centro Latino, “El Centro” for short.
During the event, Caballero-García and Valente led a discussion, primarily in Spanish, about the artwork with support from El Centro directors Araceli Hernández-Laroche and Maria Francisco-Montesó.
Participants expressed their desire to feel a stronger connection to the campus community.
A simple “hello,” “good morning,” “good afternoon” or “thank you,” would be one way that any Terrier could help make any member of the college’s facilities staff feel included and appreciated, says Maria Ramirez, a housekeeping staff member for the past six years.
“We are a small group of women, but we are not all the same,” says Rosa Garcia, who joined Wofford’s housekeeping staff in 2021. “We have different opinions, different experiences, but we try to be the best team we can be. Our differences make us stronger. Everybody can do a little bit more (to make everyone on campus feel part of the community).”
Leslie Vargas ’24, an economics and finance double major from Waynesville, North Carolina, serves as president of the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) at Wofford. She says she was moved by the event and hopes it will lead to greater recognition of every individual who plays a part in the college’s excellence.
“This was a very beautiful event,” Vargas says. “At Wofford, there has been a push for diversity and inclusion, but the work continues. The contributions of this group of women and others are integral to Wofford College, and I am happy to see them receive the recognition and appreciation they rightfully deserve.”