Gabriel Escobedo

Finding a home at La Casa

Gabriel Escobedo, Graduate Assistant at La Casa Latino Cultural Center

When Gabriel Escobedo toured Indiana University, he was skeptical. He knew the Midwest would be very different from his home in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.

Then, his tour guides took him to La Casa.

“Immediately, the directors treated me like family. I felt like they were my aunts,” Gabriel says. “That was one of the reasons I chose IU. I knew if I needed a home, La Casa would be there for me.”

Indiana was among several graduate anthropology programs Gabriel was considering, but its Latino cultural center held his interest in ways other universities couldn’t. He knew he’d have a place at IU, where the Latino population was small, but tightly knit.

For students who have experienced culture shock, the La Casa Latino Cultural Center is a place where they can feel like they never left home. Cultural centers at IU offer minority students comfort, as well as tutors, mentors, and counselors. The centers also educate the IU community about the history, cultures, and perspectives of minority groups through events and other outreach.

That was one of the reasons I chose IU. I knew if I needed a home, La Casa would be there for me.