Prepared to make a difference--Armed with hygienist degree, woman sets out to help area Hispanics

Posted on Thu, May. 15, 2003 JACKIE MAH Staff Writer

Diana Manrique came to Charlotte from Venezuela in 1993 to learn English and better herself. She went home, only to return seven years later to better others.

Manrique, 34, of Charlotte, who graduated Wednesday night from Central Piedmont Community College, hopes to use her degree in dental hygiene to serve Charlotte's Hispanic community.

When she and her classmates put on a dental clinic during the year for $20 per checkup, Manrique quickly spread the word through Hispanic news outlets to reach what she knew would be an initially hesitant audience.

"They are afraid because they don't speak (English)," Manrique said.

Because the need for Spanish-speaking hygienists is large, Manrique says, she has a number of job offers from which to choose.

Manrique doesn't plan on returning to Venezuela. She believes her mission, as far as she can see, is to stay and aid the Hispanic community here.

Manrique was one of about 320 graduates who walked at Wednesday's ceremony at Cricket Arena on Independence Boulevard.

Chuck Ireland, 41, of Charlotte stood toward the back of the processional with a bad case of nerves.

Elizabeth Willis, 54, of Salisbury, who graduated with a degree in interpreter education, proudly wore her daughter's black mortar board and gown.

In total, CPCC had 800 graduates this year, completing degrees in everything from arts to communication to welding and construction. Mark Erwin, president of Charlotte-based Erwin Capital Inc. and former U.S. ambassador to the republics of Mauritius and Seychelles and to the Federal Republic of Comoros, delivered the keynote address.

CPCC also offers a high school equivalency program, which saw the graduation of about 350 adults earlier in the day, including members of the so-called Lost Boys of Sudan, CPCC officials said.

"This is it, baby!" said CPCC counselor Don Taylor, as he paced with enthusiasm before the ceremony. "This is what we've been working for."

Family members craned their necks and stood on tiptoe to snap photos of the "Pomp and Circumstance" procession.

"I'm really proud of myself that I did it," Manrique said.

She took English classes at CPCC in 1993 because she had family in the area and returned to the college in 2000 because of the increasingly difficult political situation in Venezuela, she said.

Studying in a second language was difficult, Manrique said. But the long afternoons in the CPCC library didn't faze her. In addition to her studies, she gained knowledge of other cultures from her American and international classmates. They swapped recipes and took day trips, and Manrique said she made many friends.

"People thought I was the crazy one when I decided to come here because I had to sell everything," she said. "But now they say I am the smart one."