Northern Kentucky Athletics is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by giving current student-athletes, Norse alumni and NKU staff a chance to share their story and explain why Hispanic Heritage Month is important to them. Next up in the series is Northern Kentucky men's soccer student-athlete Luis Rojo.

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela and lived there until the age of three until we moved to Mason, Ohio for my father's job.
 
While I can't remember much from the three years, I was fortunate to return when I was 12 for vacation. Returning allowed me to experience and relive the memories and aspects of my culture.
 
I miss the baseball games and traveling to beaches with my family and grandma. The beaches are beautiful, and the people are so kind and heartwarming.
 
Unfortunately, the dictatorship in the country has ruined my beautiful country of Venezuela. In the early 2000's, Hugo Chavez took over the country and since then, it hasn't been the same.
 
Poverty rates have increased rapidly over the years and constant food shortages have left the lower-income families with little to no hope of a brighter future. My entire family has had to leave the country for their safety.
 
Millions of Venezuelans have immigrated to neighboring countries such as Columbia or Brazil looking for better opportunities for themselves and their family. I hope that one day, the beautiful country will overcome this huge challenge to return to what it once was.
 
Even though my family and I are far from our hometown, we do our best to keep the culture alive in our household and community. Every weekend, my father makes Empanadas and Arepas for our family to enjoy for breakfast. Empanadas and Arepas are typical foods of Venezuela that are eaten constantly for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
 
We also connect with several other fellow Venezuelans and attend gatherings to share our culture.
 
Furthermore, I love going to Reds games and talking with baseball players that are from Venezuela as it gives me the memories of when I would attend Venezuelan baseball games with my father.
 
Lastly, being able to connect with fellow Hispanics in my community and at NKU through Spanish allows me to feel like I'm in Venezuela, even though I'm hundreds of miles away.
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