Border Visit With El Otro Lado
Ten students, accompanied by chaperones, Kindra Young de Gomez, World Languages Department Chair, and Pablo Rios-Cruz, Corporate Partnerships and Student Relations Manager, spent Spring Break in El Paso and Juarez. Their journey was part of El Otro Lado, a five-day immersion program sponsored by our Lasallian District for high school students to experience the realities of life for migrants and refugees along the US-Mexico border. 

A first for Knight Nation, the journey began by meeting at PDX at 3:00 am for an early flight. It continued with packed days involving a wide variety of in-depth presentations, mass, connected activities, and preparing meals. The group heard from experts on the legalities of asylum, the psychosocial conditions of being an immigrant, NAFTA, the history of border control, and the global impacts of immigration. One day, they walked across the border to Juarez, carrying diapers and baby wipes, which are hard to come by in Mexico. Those went into 120+ food and supply boxes that the group packed for later distribution to migrants. It was a meaningful opportunity for the Knights to live out several Lasallian Core Principles.

Upon her return, Angeli Lopez Hernandez ‘27 shared, “It was so hot the morning we took a two-hour hike on Mt. Cristo Rey. That made me reflect on the immigrants who try to cross (the border) there to reach for a better life, to reach for the so-called American dream. I was tired from just that small section, and so many of them have to walk so much and do so much to be able to reach the US.”

Ms. Young reflected, “Nothing can adequately prepare you for the enormity of the border fence. It’s vast and runs like a scar across the landscape. Our schedule for the week was so full, and now we’re all actively processing everything we saw and heard. I hope that we will remember the suggestion from one of the presenters to reference what we observed at the border in future conversations about the complexities of immigration. Everyone has an opinion about what to do about the southern border, but how many people have actually been to the southern border?”

STEAM Night 2026—That’s a Wrap!
Earlier this month, DLSNC hosted the third annual STEAM Night, a tradition that has become hugely popular within our community. An all-ages interactive event that showcases what’s happening on campus in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, STEAM Night this year featured both new and old favorite hands-on activities, an extensive student art show, and lots of free pizza and cookies. Best of all, it offered many opportunities for family members, friends, newly-admitted Knights, and faculty and staff to be taught by our amazing students, getting a little taste of the learning and career prep that happens in our building every day! Check out our recap video to get a sense of the night’s high-energy fun!

Juniors in Cecilia Brunning’s US History classes recently engaged in a meaningful activity as part of a unit on immigration. Using the winter’s surge of intense ICE activity in Minneapolis as a very current example, Ms. Brunning got creative so as to offer her students an opportunity to take action relating to the topic of immigration. 

Ms. Brunning recalled that a former DLSNC English teacher, Liesl Schapker, now teaches at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, one of the 41 Cristo Rey Network schools nationwide that use a Corporate Work Study model. She contacted Ms. Schapker and organized for her DLSNC students to create handmade cards with messages of support for their Minneapolis counterparts, the majority of whom are Hispanic. At the time, the Minneapolis students were doing online learning due to the unrest in their city. Each DLSNC student created three heartfelt cards, and a month or so later, they all received handmade cards in return from the Minneapolis students. 

Stephanny Castillo Portugal ‘27 shared hopes and prayers in the messages she wrote. She recently reflected, “I think if someone wrote me a letter like we did, it would make me not necessarily forget about these dark situations. But it would bring hope and make me feel safer and cared for, even a whole bunch of miles apart.” One of the recipients that Stephanny wrote to shared her contact information to keep in touch and titled her reply, “Beyond Thanks!” 

Beyond thanks indeed to Ms. Brunning for devising such an impactful means for human connection!

Get a peek into the Corporate Work Study (CWS), the unique program that sets DLSNC apart from other schools in Oregon by hearing the perspectives of individual supervisors and their student associates. 

This month’s supervisor/student team is from Wieden + Kennedy, which has been partnering with us for an amazing 16 years. On Wednesdays (plus one Monday per month), Front Desk Receptionist/Event Coordinator MJ Oliveras supervises Senior Ken’Niyah McDonald '26, who is in her third year there.

It is a lot to ask the students to take on working the front desk. In the course of the day, things are changing constantly, and you have to be quick on your feet. Figuring out how to adapt to their different learning styles to train them has been both intriguing and has offered me a challenge. 

Dan Wieden, one of our co-founders, also started Caldera, a summer art camp. Youth are the focus of that, and they are also part of our mission here. Having them here keeps us curious and respectful to ideas not from our peers. It increases our spirit for collaboration.

Ken’Niyah is brilliant, so passionate, strong, and creative. She grasped the training very quickly because she is so driven. She’s going to make an incredible businesswoman someday because she’s constantly working to elevate herself. All I can do is support her as best I can. (MJ Oliveras)

How have you grown, working as a Student Associate at Wieden + Kennedy?

One important lesson I’ve gotten at Wieden is it’s not about what you know but who you know. My second supervisor, Ms. Jinnina, has encouraged me to talk to 10 random people within a month. So like marketing, production, HR, business affairs. I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone in talking to people, just introducing myself instead of being introduced. I’ve talked to at least one person from each department. Hearing about what they do, it leads me on a path as to where I want to go in life. I want to start my own business. I don’t know what exactly, but I know it will be a business that gives meaning to a community and gives back. 

Working a front desk is a lot—you’re answering calls, you have to know how to direct calls, how to help people, and navigate different situations. Ms. MJ encouraged me to apply to work there in the summer, and I’m definitely going to do that. It’s a good paid gig for someone my age, and it’s just like my CWS job except the paycheck comes to me. (Ken'Niyah McDonald)

What’s been the coolest thing about working with Student Associates?

The students are getting real-world experience in a fast-paced environment, working with diverse professionals. They are being exposed to an unorthodox work culture that’s mature and playful at the same time. Not stereotypical. It’s an intro to what office culture can be like, eye-opening for them as to what’s possible. 

They’re definitely part of the team. They’re on our all-agency calls and are exposed to all the commercials. For our massive Halloween party, Ken’Niyah was key. She helped transform the entire front desk area into a castle. She was great! (MJ Oliveras)

During Christmas, they bought all of the CWS kids gifts, and we had a potluck with everyone on our team. We had hot cocoa, people brought dessert, and other foods. It was a bonding of the office services team. It was nice for us to be part of that. 

I also really love some great parts of the office, like the Nest. The Nest is really nice because they have live singers or a band there, and you can hear the music from all over the building. And the Atrium is super nice; it’s the meeting space for everyone. At the start of this year, they introduced me to everyone there. (Ken'Niyah McDonald)