Abstract
In May of 2025, after a five-year hiatus, Johnson County Community College (JCCC) resumed sending students to Las Pintas, Mexico. Traditionally, JCCC sent student from Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and Solar Energy to practice their acquired skills and serve the community at Centro Integral Comunitario (CIC). This latest trip, though, was for Spanish language students to enhance their cultural competency, language practice, and learn about opportunities to study away.
This collection contains stories from eight former JCCC Study Abroad trip members, five people who live and work in Las Pintas, and the ten current JCCC students who traveled to Las Pintas in 2025. This collection can be read cover to cover or readers can start in the middle and hop around. Each story is self-contained, but together they are a testament to a long-standing commitment between JCCC and the Centro Integral Comunitario (CIC) in Las Pintas. We hope it inspires other people to continue the partnership.
Disciplines
Creative Writing | Critical and Cultural Studies | Nonfiction
Recommended Citation
Gulley, Beth; Alvarez, Luz; Rogers, Vallerie; Rock, Gabrielle; Mullins, Danielle; McNay, Nina; Diaz, Jayda; Weaver, Audrey; Halperin, Haisie; Terrones, Rita; Newham, George; and Monroy, Esmeralda, "Las Pintas Interview Project 2025" (2025). The Las Pintas Collection. 1.
https://scholarspace.jccc.edu/las_pintas/1
Comments
Written by JCCC Students in GIST 101 002.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank Carmen and Martha from CIC for the hospitality these many years. Many thanks go to Mary Smith and Carolyn Kadel for starting the partnership between CIC and JCCC.
Our gratitude to Karen Miller and Janette Jasperson from the JCCC Global Engagement office. Without the two of them, this trip would not have been possible. Additional thanks to all who consented to being interviewed, and to all the amazing people we met in Las Pintas.
Thanks to Shayne for showing us around ITESO and to Alex for shepherding us around the entire trip.