Carlos Cervantes: Touching Lives Beyond Osu's Campus
By Carlos Castillo
For Carlos Cervantes, a native of Barranquilla, Colombia, coming to The Ohio State University was overwhelming, particularly because it was only his second experience far from his tierra and the first one in an institution where Spanish was not the primary language.
“When opportunities are given, students must take them and use them to the best extent possible and overcome all the challenges that lay in their path,” he said. His words carry a familiar message for many international students: that of a reward worth the effort and the time away from their families. This reward can take many forms and, as in Cervantes’ case, extend beyond Ohio State’s campus and into other communities.
Cervantes is a graduate student in the College of Education and Human Ecology with a focus in Adapted Physical Education. He came to Ohio State to pursue his career goals, to grow as a person, and to make a positive impact on those around him. For Cervantes, however, achieving one’s goals is not an easy task. “A successful career is a quest we must start with a path (what you want to do) and follow through with a plan (identify where you want to go, what you need to do to achieve it, and what your support system will be),” Cervantes advised. “In my case, faculty in my department, my fellow doctoral students and my family provided me with a support system that helped me through difficult moments resulting from my choice to come to Ohio State,” he said, “a decision that proved to be one of the best choices I have made in my life.”
Cervantes’ dissertation focuses primarily on the physical activity and health promotion of individuals with visual impairment; it is a first-of-its-kind work among adolescents with visual impairments.
According to Cervantes, “research on physical activity among people with disabilities aims to develop and implement programs to improve present patterns and levels of physical activity among individuals with disabilities and to reduce disparities when compared to non-disabled groups.” He added that “this will enhance our current understanding of physical activity behaviors among these groups, and evaluation of current techniques to measure physical activity.”
But Cervantes’ contribution to the community does not end with his dissertation. As part of a team of faculty and graduate students from Ohio State University, over the past two years, Cervantes has been working collaboratively with Puerto Rico’s Department of Sports and Recreation and the Department of Health in the Puerto Rico en Forma project. This project is a national plan designed to increase levels of physical activity and broaden the knowledge of how to implement a healthy lifestyle among the citizens of Puerto Rico. Ohio State’s team has visited the island two times and its voluntary contribution focuses on evaluating the physical activity levels and health status of the citizens of Puerto Rico, and the effects of the Puerto Rico en Forma program in terms of its reach, implementation, and impact. “During the first visit, a profile of the physical activity levels and food behavior of a representative sample of adults and children was established,” Cervantes explained. “During the second visit, data was collected to further examine the instrument revisions and to reach a larger number of citizens.” A third visit has been scheduled in which the Puerto Rico en Forma program will be evaluated on reach, implementation, and impact.
Cervantes, who is also a recipient of the 2006 and 2008 Teaching Excellence awards for Graduate Associates, hopes to become a role model for other Hispanic/Latin@ students who may want to pursue a graduate degree. “The quality of work and the professionalism with which we (Latin@ graduate students) try to conduct our work will serve as a door for future students who, like me, one day dreamt about coming to The Ohio State University and leaving with a doctorate degree,” he said. “I encourage fellow Hispanic/Latin@ students to come to this beautiful campus.”
On Sept. 23, Carlos Cervantes was the recipient of the GA Advisory Leadership Award of the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services. ¡Felicitaciones!
