Campus News

Rockford, Ill., – The Office of Global Affairs at Rockford University will be hosting Dr. Araceli Alonso and Sergio Esnard as part of a lecture on contemporary Cuban life this Friday, April 10. Dr. Alonso and Mr. Esnard will each discuss their personal experiences living in Cuba. The lecture will be held at 2 p.m. in Fisher Memorial Chapel on the Rockford University campus, 5050 E. State St. Rockford. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Alonso will talk about her research in Cuba, as well as her book, “Out of Havana”. The book focuses on daily life in Cuba during the last half century, including an in depth look at the 1959 Revolution and subsequent decades. Dr. Alonso’s research and outreach focuses on women’s health in the developing world. She is the recipient of numerous awards and grants in recognition of her work and was a leader in the implementation of a summer health camp for women and adolescent girls in rural Kenya.

Sergio Esnard was born in Matanzas, Cuba in 1950. With the help of a young Catholic priest named Bryan Walsh, Mr. Esnard was one of 14,048 children that fled Cuba as part of the “Pedro Pan” movement between December 1960 and October 1962. Many of the children that fled were sent to orphanages and foster homes in the United State. Mr. Esnard will be talking about his experiences in Cuba, life after he fled and the experiences of his family.