Five years have passed since I made what was then the longest trip of my life, leaving home behind and setting sail to new horizons, rewards, and challenges. Coming to The Ohio State University for the first time (so long ago, it seems) was a tremendous change, for it represented the beginning of a journey to achieve my educational and career goals. Now, as I am very close to reaching those goals, I am reflecting upon the changes I have experienced within myself and those I have witnessed around me. With time has come maturity, independence, and a sense of direction with new goals for my life after college. In these five years, I have also observed changes at Ohio State, in the United States, and in the world.

At Ohio State, I have seen that the University is continuously evolving. Academics, culture, and campus community, all are constantly changing to create the exciting and vibrant environment we all love. With new leadership, academically stronger freshman classes, higher national rankings, a strongly positioned athletics programs, and an ever-improving campus infrastructure, this university is on the path to becoming, as President Gee calls it, the “university of the American dream.”
In The United States, I am seeing upcoming changes in the top leadership positions. I am also seeing changes in the economy. Worldwide, I am seeing increasing concerns about the environment and greater interdependences among nations. This interdependence causes tensions, and tensions cause conflicts, and conflicts cause change.

In this issue of ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? we are presenting articles that show how Hispanic/Latin@s are also participants in this change. For instance, Humberto Blanco’s research on soil in response to global climate change; the creation of a Latino Center in response to the increasing presence and relevance of Hispanic/Latinos at national and international levels; and the efforts of OSU’s Extension Services to better understand the immigrant population who come to the United States to work in agriculture.

Change is especially impacting students. For freshmen and sophomores, spring quarter is the end of a phase of adaptation to college; for juniors and seniors, it is the time to get ready for internships, fulltime positions or graduate school. Students agree that the pressures to adapt to a changing environment can be overwhelming, that adjusting is not easy, and expectations are not always met, but Ohio State has the services and resources to help students. To help you with the adaptation process, we include in this issue more information on services, such as Counseling and Consultation Services and the Graduate School Administration.

Change is also happening in our Central Ohio community. As such, we are partnering with the community to present in this issue initiatives, such GROh 21 and OLANet, launched by the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission in response to a growing Latin@ population across the state. We also include a first-person story from Baldemar Velasquez, a social leader whose experience drove him to become an agent of change for the migrant population.

This issue also continues the ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? tradition of presenting the creative expressions of Latino culture in its variety of forms. Whether it is dance, painting, or sculpture, we are very pleased to display the creativity of Latin@ students. In fact, our cover page has artwork submitted by one of our new Latin@ freshman.

We hope that you will enjoy this issue y que también disfruten de una cálida primavera! 