LACIS Partnership Brings the Wisconsin Idea to Communities in Guatemala
For the past several years, an ongoing partnership spearheaded by the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS) has proven that high school classrooms can have a global footprint. Through LACIS, a center within the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at UW–Madison, advanced Spanish students at Oconomowoc High School undertake a creative assignment to write and illustrate original bilingual children’s books. A standout execution of the Wisconsin Idea, this project turns local language lessons into a tangible resource for school children in rural Guatemala.
The collaboration is led in part by Danielle Chaussee, an advanced Spanish teacher and the school’s Global Scholars Program coordinator. To elevate the students’ work to professional-grade literature, LACIS assistant director Sarah Ripp coordinates a partnership with bilingual authors, including award-winning bilingual author Alexandra Diaz. Diaz has worked closely with Chaussee’s students—originally virtually, and later traveling from New Mexico to lead hands-on writing workshops. This year, the partnership grew even stronger with a new addition: a professional illustrator joined the residency to guide students through the world of book design.
“I’m so grateful to collaborate on the Bilingual Book project with LACIS because my ultimate goal is for my students to experience joy and feel empowered to be agents of change,” said Chaussee. “My students often say this is their favorite project because it’s so unique. They love to use their creativity, and even though they may be high school students, they still love to color!”
Once the students finish their stories, LACIS sponsors the purchase of blank, hardcover books for the students. Then, the finished volumes are hand-delivered to school children in rural Guatemalan villages by Jennifer Demar, founder and president of the Guatemala Service Projects.
“When the organization distributes the completed books in Guatemala, it fulfills an act of global citizenship—where students in Wisconsin provide opportunities for the youth in Guatemala to learn and to envision a better future,” Demar shared. “Receiving these books from faraway friends proves to them that they are seen and heard and that on days that they feel alone or full of despair, they are reminded that others in this world are joining in the quest to make the world a better place.”
The experience was so meaningful to one of Chaussee’s former Oconomowoc students, Emma Nelson, that Nelson reached out to Sarah Ripp to inquire about employment when she became a student at UW–Madison. Emma was hired and has provided LACIS with communications and event planning support for the past year.
The growing partnership reflects LACIS’s commitment to sustainable global connections, rooted in collaborative learning and mutual resource exchange. Following the success of this framework, Ripp and Chaussee shared the model at this year’s Wisconsin Idea Conference, showcasing LACIS’s work as a state-level blueprint for how educational institutions can put the Wisconsin Idea into practice.
Story by Kayla Daum