The Taos News from Taos, New Mexico • Page 28

Arguello finds study, work pays off people THE TAGS NEWS Tnuf Stky, July "Be proud and study hard" the advice given to Taos youth by Arguello, a Taoawto who'ls busy making a success of his life. Arguello is only one dissertation away from a PhD in social work, with an impressive record of accomplishments already behind him. Mis main work has been in researching the way mental health programs respond to minority patients. Mis proudest accomplish' ments are In Hispanic mental health research and In his work with migrant farmworkers In Toppenlsh, Wash. His great desire Is to come back to northern New Mexico to work.

"I'm dying to get In a desert, praying for rain," he HIS CAREER has not been easy, he said. He was bom one of six children to Fermln Arguello and Sablnlta Cordova-Arguello, on a family land grant that dates to 1836. He was a young man when he first felt a call on his life to help people. His family gave him all they their encouragement. He first thought he was called to be a priest, and graduated from the Immaculate Mary Seminar In Santa Fe.

It was there, he said, that he really learned to study. The program was rigorous, Including four years of Latin. Arguello said his hard work in that school really paid off later. When he found he wasn't called to be a priest, he began work on a BA In 1967. "When I started college," he said, "It was during the years of college revolution.

I became Interested In making my college education as relevant as possible, and was involved in the first Chicane studies at the University of New This gave him point in the direction he wanted to go, but in 1970 he had to drop out of college. For five years he worked at odd Jobs-construction, maintenance, trying to find direction in his life. A CHALLENGE from a friend, laldro Oallegos, helped him finish his education. "No one wants to go to school," said Qallegos. Arguello answered, "We just don't have the portunlty," and Oallegos responded by helping him get a scholarship for the University of Washington ih Seattle.

tn less than four years he completed a masters degree and PhD In mental health administration and planning. But what makes him proudest is that he Is now helping his people like he always wanted to. "Money Is our big problem," he said. "There Is some money available, but It's so hard to find It." In his first year of college he was working in construction to help pay for his education when he broke his back. He credits the insurance money for helping him continue two more years of college.

CULTURAL CHANGE in college Is often too" much for Hispanic young people, he said. "The competition Is difficult," he said. "You are competing In a system that Is foreign to what you know. I had to learn twice as much and research a lot of work that was saying the opposite of what I felt was true. "The theory and treatment of mental Illness Is so white-oriented that you have to find what that culture teaches, and then fight for recognition of different perspectives.

It's easier to go along with what they say. You must fight for recognition of a perspective different than what the dominant culture puts forth. There Is a severe under-use of health services by all minorities, he believes, not because they aren't needed, but because of poor communication between the client and those offering the treatment. He said Hispanic people are usually required in a clinic to speak English, In and talk to a psychiatrist who doesn't understand their point of view. "How do you study a health program for people," he said, "wen they have different beliefs about health care? If you don't care about that, the services will not be utilized." Arguello counsels young people to take advantage of their education now.

"Prepare yourself for when you're 30 or 40 years old. In the high school years you can Investigate many different areas of interest, and learn that there are all kinds of interesting things to do. If they are thinking of a 'free ride' in college, they have to be thinking of extremely high grades now. That is what opens the door." WRITING is the key, he believes. "College Is a lot of tremendous amount.

I call it academic diarrhea. Especially in a master's program, if you don't have good skills In writing, you are lost. If you have the capacity to write about your subject and assert yourself, so much the better for "I'm proud of our our ability to survive in such a rugged country," he said. "I want to perpetuate that." LAMA MOUNTAIN SCHOOL Oilers an advanced tutorial program designed for the individual child. TUITION Grades 8 Limited enrollment.

Call to reserve a place for your child in 1981-82. PLANT NOW FOR A FALL GARDEN (Many product bttiar In (ill than Ihe (ummar.) Cabbage Broccoli Cauliflower Garden Supplies Grasshopper Cures Transplants Seed (Packaged In bulk) 758 8746 Carrots Beets Lettuce Radish Squash Spinach Swiss Chard Turnip Taos Garden Center S. Santa Fe Road (in the log homes) HOURS: 8-6 p.m. Closed Sundays Youth at work in forest as YCCgets reprieve Lookingahead Eleuto Maeslas By ELEUTO MAESTAS Torn down fences, littered campgrounds, un- maLntalned trails, full of dead brush: this Is what Taos's mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and trails might look like if there weren't groups like the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC). The Youth Conservation Corps began Its third week of summer work Monday (July 13), but only after being saved by the threatening Reagan budget cuts.

"It looked like It was going to be wiped out this year along with all of the other programs," said Pita Lujan, dlrectlor of the YCC. The Youth Conservation Corps was started 10 years ago by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior. The program came to Taos about eight years ago. It gives youth from ages of 15 to 18 a chance to work at summer-time government jobs when they might not be able to find a job elsewhere. The youth work for $3.36 per hour for six hours a day five days a week.

And anybody can qualify. The YCC members are picked by a computer at random, Lujan explained. This year's YCC consists of 31 teen-age workers and three group leaders. The workers come from towns like Taos, Questa, Penasco and surrounding districts. The YCC is an en- vlornmental program where the workers spend three days out of the week working in the field and two days a week doing class work and learning techniques such as map reading, map sign codes, and so on.

The program also Forest Service employees time and money for doing work that they would have to do themselves. "It just might not exist next year," Pita Lujan said sadly about the YCC program. Among the participants In YCC here this summer: Crew 3: David Martinez. Brenda Vigil, Joanne Archuleta, Audra Squires, Caremlla Atenclo, Richard Nance, Herman Pacheco, Matthew Pacheco, Randy Sanchez, Raymond Mar- tinez, Ronald Romero. Crew 2: Manuel Rivera, Esther Gonzales, Lisa Hardln, Peggy Koon, Charlotte Martinez, Larry Herrera, Leonard Leyba, Herbert Martinez, Daren Vigil, Donald Medina.

Crew 1: Vivian Gonzales, Natlle Rodrlquez, Luella Mon dragon, Delsie DeHerrera, Carol Espinoza, Raymond Alvarado, Wayne Archuleta, Johnny Cordova, Jessie Gonzales, John Grant. 758-8866 On the Plaza OGELVIE'S American and New Mexican specialties Entertainment nightly Thurs. Fri. SIDHAUSMAN from Santa Fe Guitar banjo picker extraordinaire SAKTI Mid-Eastern exotic dancer Fri. 9:30 11:00 MICHAEL D'ARO Piano- Sat Eve.

8-12 on new or refill prescription with this coupon Discount Senior Citizens on any prescription Check our generic prices on prescriptions oronado Pn armacy Hours: New Leo Pachaco, right, watches as Matt Pachaco left stares into a stereoscope, which helps interpret aerial photographs. Both teen-agers are high school students working with the Youth Conservation Corps for the summer. sfudenfs Mo ntoya lauded in Hispanic role A Taos student was among 219 students named to the dean's list at Beloit College for spring term 1981. The lie men and 103 women had grade point averages of 3.256 or better. Jvtjah Mary Mingenbach, daughter of Mr.

and Mrs. William Mingenbach of Taos, was among those honored students. U.S. Sen. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt announced that his office is now accepting applications for nominations to the Air Force, Naval and Merchant Marine Academies and West Point.

High school students beginning their senior year in the fall of 1981 are eligible to apply tor nominations for admission to academy classes entering in the summer of 1882. Applicants should contact Schmltt's Albuquerque office by telephone or mail for application blanks and information packets In October, applicants will be Interviewed by Academy Review Boards in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Roswell. PACHECO in December. M. Ana Pacheco has received her bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Graduation exercises were June 13. Miss Pacheco is the daughter of Margaret Pacheco of San Diego, Calif, and the granddaughter of Jose C. Pacheco of Ranch! tos. During her college years, she did volunteer social work. She plans now to pursue her master's degree at the University of New Mexico.

Her mother, Margaret Pacheco. a former office manager for The Taos News, is now working for the University of California at San Diego and pursuing her bachelor's degree in sociology there. Samuel O. Montoya, former Taos County manager, has been lauded in an article in the National Hispanic Housing Coalition's monthly report for his work toward advancing Hlspanics in federal policy-making roles. Montoya, a National Urban Fellow at Bucknell University, has been working with NLC as a special assistant to the executive director.

Under Montoya's direction, the League added Hispanics to policy making Santa Fe Mayor Art Trujillo and Dr. Hernan mayor of San Juan. Puerto Rico, were both sleeted to the board of lirectors. Montoya's Job as special assistant included explaining federal budget restrictions that will affect American cities. He is quoted in the report as saying, "We are just beginning.

Now that we have the players, we can change the current and make sure that the needs and concerns of the Hispanic community are well articulated before Congressional representatives." The article describes Montoya. a native of Talpa, as "competent, energetic and optimistic." Special next Las Fiestas de Santiago Santa Ana will begin on Friday of next week Schmltt will forward hie list of nominees for each academy to the academies in November, and the academies usually begin making their appointments Hot Tubs Spas Pools Sol tr Construction We wish lo pur friends, and ngif kbpj-f $11 tkpte wKp kind during our nt tvi pf PUT Alfonso to of you yjbo with pi ayer, fotber Ed FARIVI BUREAU Life Automobile Homeowners Commercial Medical Farm STEVE CANTU Agency Here to Serve You ML It Mwy. MM And next Thursday, July 23, The Taos News in cooperation with the Fiesta Counos will publish a special magazine-format program highlighting all the activities, special events and personalities that make up the traditional Taos fiestas. Next week, a bonus Fiesta to make your 1981 Fiestas more enjoyable. Look for it in yuur copy pf.