World Languages and Culture Teacher Whitney Nuchereno does not limit herself to the classroom when educating others about Latin America. Nuchereno co-hosts “The Latin America” show, a program with nearly 4,000 followers on Facebook, every Tuesday at 8 p.m. GMT. 

Beginning in June, Nuchereno and her two co-hosts, Enrique Gelista and Roger Alarcon, conduct the show through Zoom while also airing live on Facebook. The recorded version is later posted on Youtube.

Nuchereno said the show educates English speakers about various elements of Latin America and allows people to learn and explore aspects of other cultures in an entertaining way. 

“It’s important because it’s an entertainment show, but it also has that added value of opening people’s eyes to what Latin America is truly like, and the beauties of it, and how amazing and lush and diverse it is,” she said. 

Nuchereno said that she has a segment at the end of the show in which she teaches words and phrases related to the theme of the episode or a practical topic. She ends the segment with slang specific to the episode’s culture or country.

Nuchereno said each episode of the show features Latin American guests, ranging from chefs to ambassadors, that speak on the episode’s topic. 

“It’s really wonderful the kind of people that we get on the show and how much you learn about topics that you wouldn’t have known about otherwise,” she said.  

Moreover, she said the show aims to differentiate the various countries and cultures in the region. 

“A lot of people put all Hispanics in one melting pot, and it’s to show that no, every country is so unique and beautiful,” she said. “The only thing they really have in common, aside from being physically close to one another is, for the most part, the Spanish language.”

Nuchereno said Latin American culture and history is underexposed in western society and viewers of “The Latin America” show would benefit from learning about it.

“If you think about it, in schools, you don’t learn much about Latin America, at least not in European schools and in U.S. schools,” she said. “There’s just so much to learn and gain, and it’s just this mystery to a lot of people.”

In addition, Nuchereno said it is crucial for people to learn about Latin American culture because Latin America is unfairly represented in the media. 

“You look at any Netflix show about anywhere in South, Central or even North America, like Mexico, and it’s about violence and drugs,” she said. “The stereotypes are just so poor.”

As a result, Nuchereno said she and the other hosts are “trying to diminish any negative stereotypes associated with Latin America.”

Nuchereno said that on the show, they want to display the real Latin America.  

“In this day and age, we just feel like it’s extra important to educate and open viewers’ eyes to the true Latin America,” she said. “Not just the bad parts that people pluck out of history and, you know, publicize all over the place.”

Although Nuchereno said she does not have a family relation to Latin America, she said she feels “a connection to them: their language, their personality, their ‘joie de vivre,’ their everything.”

Nuchereno said she wants to take a year-long break from teaching at some point to explore Latin America, get to know it more and broadcast her experience live. 

“It’s hard to put so much into a show and build it when you’re working full time jobs, and you know, you have other things in life going on,” she said. “It’d be kind of nice to press pause and really put everything into it.”

Overall, Nuchereno encourages the community to watch the show.

“Every show, it’s an opportunity to learn,” she said. “That’s what I love the most about it.”

This story was originally published on The Standard on December 3, 2020.