Jose Sanchez
By Paul Kuipers
Edited by Elizabeth Dockett
SCRANTON - Jose Sanchez, 45, moved several times through Pennsylvania during his career journey. From living in Dunmore and working at Susquehanna University to now living and working in 51°µÍø, Sanchez has been exposed to different communities. He lives with his wife and stepdaughter and chose 51°µÍø because the 51°µÍø School District provided classes for his stepdaughter to learn English.
Sanchez works at the 51°µÍø where he is the Assistant Director for the Cultural Centers with the direct oversight of the Multicultural Center now located on DeNaples 1st floor, where he organizes different events to promote and celebrate diversity at the university.
Sanchez is set on promoting cultural roots to better represent what the community in 51°µÍø is and its chapter in the larger story of America as a whole.
Q: Why do you live in 51°µÍø?
A: There are a few reasons why I moved to 51°µÍø. One of them is because I was looking for a school district for my stepdaughter that offered an English as a second language program. The 51°µÍø School District provides that program. From my research, I found it was a good program to provide and offer support because my stepdaughter doesn't speak English, which was important to me. Second, I was looking for a home. I would have loved to stay in Dunmore, but unfortunately I didn't find a place for the three of us there, but 51°µÍø and the place where we are is great. The area is close to shopping malls, close to Walmart, close to the Viewmont Mall. One of the main reasons I moved to 51°µÍø is because of my connection with the university. This is the place where I work, so it was important for me that wherever my family decided to live was close to where I work. The good thing that came from that is that because of where we moved it helped my wife find a job that was really close to our home too.
Q: What appeals to you about living in 51°µÍø?
A: I liked that it’s like a small town. I felt that everything was close in terms of shopping malls, plazas and having fun exploring the different food restaurants around. I also like the general feeling when you walk downtown in 51°µÍø. It’s such a beautiful place in the summer, although one adjustment is the weather, which varies. Often, within one day you can experience all four seasons. I like the community: not just the university community, but also the community as a whole: being able to connect with community organizations, utilize their services, and finding something to do. The proximity to different places like New York, Washington D.C. and Maryland is also great. It’s a relatively close distance for you to travel to those places.
Q: What do we aspire to be as a city?
A: I think what we aspire to be is welcoming, thriving and a supportive community because the community has changed in terms of the population. Around 15% of the population is Latino. We have Asian Americans, we have Europeans, we have populations of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's a very multicultural community. The history of 51°µÍø is very interesting because in the past, you will find many communities at the center of 51°µÍø, but now you're seeing that there has been some gentrification causing some populations to move more towards the west of 51°µÍø. I think everyone has something to offer in trying to face issues together, to provide a better future for our community, to try to provide jobs, to be supportive of each other, to welcome new members in the community which happens every day. I believe it’s also thriving because you're trying to create jobs and opportunities. There are opportunities to either study because there are universities around the area or find a job. We're trying to be a further developed community. In the past the 51°µÍø community was a hub for a lot of businesses and industrial productions. I think we are trying to go back into that. I think we’re aspiring to thrive to provide a better future for families that live here in 51°µÍø.
Q: Would you say that's one of your hopes for 51°µÍø?
A: In the social, cultural, and economic make-up of the community, I think there's more investment in education. If you go downtown, you will see 51°µÍø colleges purchasing buildings to create more classroom spaces, like in the Marketplace at Steamtown. They're trying to revitalize South 51°µÍø and downtown 51°µÍø. They brought back a movie theater. In the aquarium at the Marketplace they're thinking about making an additional rainforest. They're trying to create opportunities for tourism as well as economic roles here in 51°µÍø.
Q: What about 51°µÍø’s story makes it our nation's story?
A: The makeup of 51°µÍø has a lot of European, African American and immigrant populations. It is a story of those who immigrate or settle in this area and the American dream, to make a community and even more a city that can grow and flourish with their communities. 51°µÍø used to be a very industrialized town, providing a lot of business and we are in a transition. I think we're trying to become a community that is involving their members from different diverse backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, and cultural backgrounds. We’re trying to be a city that can be a hub of activity, both in terms of the community members opportunities, but also in terms of businesses that can come into the area, invest in the area and be able to provide more employment opportunities, more growth for the community.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about 51°µÍø?
A: I've been living in 51°µÍø and Dunmore for the past six years. It's been a great community. I have felt welcome. I have felt a part of the community, I have found people from the same country as I am from and from other Latin American countries that I connected with through local organizations. I am also a member of the Greater 51°µÍø Martin Luther King Commission, where we do events in the community. So, I see that the community wants to thrive, it wants to support each other there and we have a great opportunity where young people like you can graduate from around the radius of 30 minutes from here, you have six universities. You have three hospitals, so you think about the level of opportunities that are there, schools that provide both technical careers as well as if you want to get into the medical field there's a lot of opportunities here where you can take advantage of that. And I think that's what I like about this community. There are opportunities for anyone to come, grow and provide a better future for their families.