Hola, friends!
In this episode of Port of Entry, our team traces the origins of a groundbreaking U.S. university graduation ceremony held in Mexico — an initiative that has left a lasting legacy in the California/Baja Mexico border region.
For the first time in U.S. history, the "Building Bridges" graduation ceremony, organized by San Diego State University’s Imperial Valley satellite campus, brought together families separated by immigration policies who otherwise couldn’t celebrate this milestone north of the border.
The episode explores the profound impact of the event by hearing directly from a family who experienced it together. We also meet the organizers who made it possible, including Dr. Vannessa Falcon Orta, an old friend of Port of Entry whose idea helped spark the movement. Since then, similar ceremonies have spread to other institutions across the region.
You won’t want to miss this heartwarming episode!
Featured and mentioned in this episode:
Unfortunately, we couldn’t feature all of the people who made the first edition possible in our episode but here are the folks who were part of the Inaugural Building Bridges Graduation from the 2022- Advisory Committee
- Carlos A. Fitch, B.A.- A.S. President
- Christie Jimenez, MSW, PPSC- Graduate -Graduate Assistant, Cross-Cultural Center
- Efren Lopez, Ph.D.- Assistant Professor, English
- Gilberto Reyes, M.A.- Adjunct Faculty, History & Chicanx Studies
- Ismael Arvizu, B.A.- President Chicanx Sin Fronteras
- Ivanna Avalos, B.A.- Member, Chicanx Sin Fronteras
- Melissa Villarreal, B.A.- Food Pantry Coordinator
- Susana Lopez, B.A.- Administrative Coordinator, Division of Student Affairs
- Vannessa Falcón Orta, Ph.D.- Faculty Director, Cross-Cultural Center (Committee Chair)
About Season 6
Port of Entry has a fresh new season for you, with richer stories of our border region.
This season spotlights shapers and visionaries of the borderlands — people impacting the region, and in some cases the world, with their work and research.
From urbanism and architecture to education, and politics, to art and robotics, these stories explore the region’s most innovative voices.
Listen in and join us!
Social media and contact
From KPBS, Port of Entry tells cross-border stories that connect us. More stories at www.portofentrypod.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/portofentrypodcast
Instagram: www.instagram.com/portofentrypod
Support our show at www.kpbs.org/donate. Search “Port of Entry” in the gifts section to get our sling bag as a thank-you gift.
If your business or nonprofit wants to sponsor our show, email corporatesupport@kpbs.org.
Text or call the Port of Entry team at 619-500-3197 anytime with questions or comments about the show, or email us at podcasts@kpbs.org.
Credits
Hosts: Alan Lilienthal and Natalie González
Writer/Producer: Julio C. Ortiz-Franco
Technical Producer/Sound Designer: Adrian Villalobos
Editor: Chrissy Nguyen
Episodes translated by: Natalie González and Julio C. Ortíz Franco
Director of Audio Programming and Operations: Lisa Morrisette
