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WSCC News is a presentation of West Shore Community College in partnership with Mason County Press and Oceana County Press.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
VICTORY TOWNSHIP, Mason County — Over the past month, West Shore Community College has been celebrating Hispanic heritage. Helping to lead that charge, not only at WSCC, but also in the community, is Irma Hinojosa.
Hinojosa is a student records administrative assistant and has worked at WSCC for 38 years. At WSCC, Hinojosa sits on the organizing committee to celebrate Hispanic heritage. She also has served for 15 years on the Hispanic Heritage Committee in Hart, leading the group since 2018, along with eight others.
“Hispanic heritage events are important to bring awareness to our community of the variety of cultures and traditions that live among us,” Hinojosa said. “It’s important to share the richest and most important traditions with others to enrich our community and help them understand the culture.”
Hinojosa’s family started to come to Michigan for seasonal work from San Juan, Texas in the early 1960s, working for Miles and Lena Chase of Chase Farms in Walkerville. She described her family as being very close.
“My dad and uncles helped bring other workers to the area to harvest cherries, pickles, apples, and many other crops,” she said. “We lived in a migrant camp where my entire family had very close housing quarters. My grandmother and great-grandfather were our babysitters when everyone would go to work.
“We would travel to Michigan in a convoy of about five or six cars (all family) and two semi-trucks that were used to work while in Michigan. My family were faithful workers for Chase Farms for many, many years.
“My immediate family established roots in Walkerville the summer of 1980 and has been here ever since. I am the oldest daughter of Hilario Guadalupe and Irma C. Luevano. I have four brothers and one sister.
“I am actually the only child in my family born in Oklahoma. The story behind that is that my family was migrating back to Texas after the apple season in Michigan. My mom was 9-months pregnant heading back to Texas and I decided I wanted to be born before arriving in Texas. They ended up making a stop in Oklahoma so that my mom could give birth.”
Hinojosa’s education consisted of attending many different schools.
“Despite the many schools I attended, I still managed to graduate from Walkerville High School in 1983 in the top 10 of my class,” she said. “I became a WSCC student the fall of 1983.”
Hinojosa’s story is like many who began their Michigan journey as migrants, mostly working on farms, and choosing to stay here to live their lives and raise their families.
“I am a single mom of two wonderful children who are now young adults,” she said. “My son is 29-years-old and lives in Texas. He has a degree in law enforcement and corrections from West Shore. He is currently working for the City of Edinburg as a corrections officer. My daughter is 26-years-old and has an associate degree from West Shore Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University. She is currently working on her master’s degree at Northern Michigan University. She is currently employed by Walkerville Public Schools as their kindergarten teacher.
“Both my kids grew up knowing the importance of their culture and helping others. I would have them assist at organized events to help shape their leadership skills and awareness of their community. They are both doing great and I keep telling them to slow down, but the beauty of helping others is in our blood.”
Hinojosa believes strongly not only being involved in the Latino community, but being involved in all aspects of the community, especially in regards to education. She serves the Hart Public Schools Board of Education, the West Shore Educational School District Board of Education, and is a member of the Oceana College Access Network.
In her job, she assists students with completing their financial aid applications, along with many other duties that help students succeed in their educational goals. Additionally, she serves as a recruiter/program coordinator for the Michigan State High School Equivalency Program, a program that assists many agricultural workers obtain their general educational development test (GED); is the chair of the Oceana Hispanic Center, since 2018, which provides services to the local Hispanic and Latino population; is chair of the West Michigan Migrant Resource Council, a group that brings agencies together that service migrant and seasonal farm workers. She is also president of the WSCC Educational Support Staff.
Hinojosa said she spends about 12 to 15 hours a week in her volunteer roles.
“I try to be a good mentor and assist in any way I can,” Hinojosa said. “The young people are our future and I want them to have the knowledge of their culture and traditions to be able to share that with the community we live in. It seems that as generations go by, the more Americanized we become and many of the culture, traditions, and language are being lost. Our young adults need to understand the importance of where they come from and understand that the richness of their culture is a bonus, and they have so much more to give to their community if they become connected with the values their culture has brought to their lives.”
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