Video helps Spanish Speakers Apply for Passports
Merydawilda Col贸n, Alejandra Londo帽o and her father Rodrigo Londo帽o, and Stockton alumna Lidia Martinez and her son Amado Placencia, Jr. admire the new passports in a scene from the video. Below: The cast and crew, and a scene shot at the post office.
Galloway, N.J. 鈥 A video developed by 91视频 91视频, faculty, and staff is helping Spanish speakers apply for U.S. passports.
The project, developed through Stockton鈥檚 Diplomacy Lab, was led by Jessie K. Finch, assistant professor of sociology, and Merydawilda Col贸n, executive director of Stockton鈥檚 Center for Community Engagement.
Working with Andr茅s Rodriguez and Rebekah McNeely of Passport Services, the team developed
a script and storyboard in Spanish that was then brought to life by members of Stockton
Production Services, specifically Jeffrey Topping, Amanda Martinez, Shannon Aungst,
Mark Jackson, and Scott Huston.
The video stars Col贸n, Stockton undergraduate student Alejandra Londo帽o and her father Rodrigo Londo帽o, Stockton alumna Lidia Martinez and her son Amado Placencia, Jr. U.S. Postal Service clerk Gloria Guzman makes a special guest appearance.
The seven-minute film walks viewers through a 10-step process to obtain a passport for the first time.
鈥淭he goal of this project is really to demystify a complicated process for a population that may not have access to a wide-range of resources,鈥 Finch said.
Finch said Londo帽o, whose parents are from Colombia, was instrumental in setting up free naturalization classes offered by the Stockton Center for Community Engagement. Classes are held each from 6-7:30pm on Tuesdays from September through May at the Carnegie Center in Atlantic City.
鈥淥ften the first thing the new American citizens want are to register to vote and
to get a U.S. passport,鈥 Finch said. 鈥淭his video project was a natural extension of
the naturalization classes.鈥
Having taught community naturalization classes for three years in Atlantic City for permanent residents who are becoming citizens, Finch and Londo帽o had ample practice at helping break down complex government procedures.
The video can be viewed on the and on Stockton鈥檚 Diplomacy Lab Projects website. It can also be viewed on .
Launched in 2013, Diplomacy Lab is a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and U.S. colleges and universities. Partner schools conduct research around various topics presented to them by the State Department in areas including climate change, democracy and human rights, counterterrorism, global health, and energy security.
Over the course of a semester, professors guide 91视频 in developing a final work product that accomplishes the goals outlined by the Department. Students have opportunities throughout the semester to discuss their research with State Department officials.
Stockton Associate Professor of Political Science Tina Zappile is Stockton鈥檚 Diplomacy Lab Project coordinator.
More information and other Stockton projects can be found at stockton.edu/diplomacylab/
# # #
Contact:
Diane D鈥橝mico
Director of News and Media Relations
Galloway, N.J. 08205
顿颈补苍别.顿鈥橝尘颈肠辞蔼蝉迟辞肠办迟辞苍.别诲耻
609-652-4593
