Link to Audio Podcast: https://www.bravevoices.fieldscenter.princeton.edu/native-indigenous-voices

Interview with Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25

Hosted by Rachel Jack ‘27

Rachel Jack '27 (00:05)

All right. So we're going to start with the introduction. So please introduce yourself with your name, class year, and concentration. And also feel free to share your tribal affiliation, nation, clan or tribal community that you come from.

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (00:17)

For sure. [Introduction in Native and/or Indigenous language]. I am Gustavo Blanco, senior in the Sociology department. Originally from the Indigenous community Aymara in Bolivia.

Rachel Jack '27 (00:30)

Thank you. So we're going to talk about community and environment. What is your initial impression of Princeton University? How does Princeton’s environment compare to the environment you were raised or grew up in?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (00:40)

My initial impressions of Princeton was just having enormous privilege of being able to attend a university with, such marvelous people, leaders of the future, but it was also hard in the, in a way, the transition, coming from a public high school in Bolivia, coming from a public education in Bolivia, it was really hard to, you know, first of all, the the language. I started learning English when I was 16 years old. And, it was hard for me to understand the professors, to sometimes even socialize with my peers. But I always found that sense of community, starting off by people that were interested in learning about my culture, were interested about, learning more about me. And I found support a lot in those people. And I feel that kind of resemble a little bit what is my community. Which, you know, it's, we value a lot into the principle of reciprocity. I was given very too much support when when I was transitioning to this new place. And, now that I am a senior, I also try to give back that support to other international students, to other students that also don't come from traditional backgrounds here to Princeton.

Rachel Jack '27 (01:58)

Thank you for sharing that. What was your experience like your first year at Princeton? How did you adjust to the transition?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (02:04)

Yeah. My experience, like I saying it was, it was challenging. So starting off, by the language. It was also challenging in a way that it was my first time living away from home, by myself. At that time, I didn't have any other family member here in the United States, so I kind of felt very afraid of the disconnection I could have from back from my country, back from my community. And I think that, my first and I was, of course, very surprised by the, by all the privileges that we have here in the university, but also about how sometimes it's very hard to access those privileges because, we don't come from, places that allow us to take advantage of all those privileges. I could give an example. There was many times in which I would have loved to excel in different classes to do well, but it would just take me the double of time to do an assignment, in comparison to, to other of my peers, because it was hard for me to write in English. It was hard for me to put all my thoughts in English on the paper. So, you know, I, I missed many opportunities like those, but I feel that still, I had the understanding of some professors and, of course, the support of your friends that you make here. It's, I think, very vital for going through those moments.

Rachel Jack '27 (03:28)

What is your relationship like with your family and your tribe or Indigenous community since leaving home? Has being our Princeton changed that?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (03:35)

I think that, from the time I came to Princeton, I decided to, you know, like, I was telling, I was very afraid of losing that connection. So I tried to find ways in which I can still be connected with my community. And the best way I found was to redirect the privileged resources that we were given here in Princeton back to my community. And I did so with many service opportunities that the Pace Center offers. In my first year, I got funding from the Davis Projects for Peace to go back home and work with Indigenous communities, leaders, especially men in a new masculinities concept, because a big problem in Indigenous communities is gender inequality. And coming from a family where I have lived most of my life with my mother and my two sisters, I have experienced that issue, and it's something that I really wanted to address, so. Through opportunities like those almost every summer, almost every winter break, I was able to go back home and try to still maintain that connection, which you know, is, is, I wouldn't say totally connected, totally, you know, integrated into the issues communities in Bolivia go through day by day, because of the fact that I, more time here as a student. But I'm very excited after graduation to be able to go back home and be able to reconnect with my people.

Rachel Jack '27 (04:58)

Yes. I'm very excited for you, too. That's going to be good. So now we're going to go to questions regarding identity. Has being our Princeton changed the way you perceive yourself as Native or Indigenous?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (05:10)

I think, I think it has changed a little bit, because, here I would just fall under cultural categories, like Latino, which I, I embrace. I embrace the fact of being a, a Latino coming from Latin America. But I think that especially in the Andes area, if you are an Indigenous person, this generalization does not really apply to you because, of all the customs of all the way of life and ways of knowing that, you bring and that you have lived with for most of your life. It's just, I think different, but also at the same time as rich as, you know, the Latino culture, in this part of the world. But yeah, I was, you know, I fell into this category, but I still, I think that, fall into this category allowed me to meet people that have become my close friends and that we have resonated into a lot of stuff together. You know. Yeah. I mean, I, I can try to find some, some belonging in some cultural organizations, like Natives at Princeton as well. I have found a lot of community over there as well with people. But it's just have been kind of has been different,

because, like, all these cultures are very, are very rich in itself, but they are also very different to each other. But, think on those cultural organizations, I have definitely found some understanding and some community as well.

Rachel Jack '27 (06:31)

I'm going to go back to one of the questions regarding community and environment, because I feel like what you just said transitions well. Do you feel you have found a community and or home away from home at Princeton? If so, when was the first time you felt this way?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (06:44)

For sure. I think I have found a way away from home at Princeton. But it hasn't, it hasn't been an easy path. I started my first year, you know, trying to, struggling to find that, that community, just because, you know, I was very… very afraid into not falling into the category of a Princeton student. You know, that has to be, you know, smart, that has to, you know, know a lot of stuff, impress other people. But as soon as I started recognizing the other Princeton students are, also feeling the same way, and resonate with you, I think that's when I started finding community. For me, that was the time that I did the Freshman Scholars Institute from the Emma Bloomberg Center, where I started to find community, getting to meet the first people that up until now are still very good friends of mine.

Rachel Jack '27 (07:40)

Thank you for sharing that. We're going to talk about campus life. Do you believe that your Native/Indigenous identity and culture are represented at Princeton? And if so, in what ways?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (07:50)

I don't think um, I don't think it's quite represented. I mean, Aymara is, is one of the, after Quechua in Latin America, is one of the biggest Indigenous, culture that is still preserved in Latin America. And Quechua here in the United States. It's, I was very surprised. And it’s it’s very, being promoted a lot. There's universities like Harvard and Penn University that have programs in Quechua for students to learn the language. But I didn't, I didn't quite have found that, here in Princeton. Not even like, because there's a lot of mixing there has been between Quechua and Aymara, in the sense of language, in the sense of culture, but here at Princeton, I observed that that was not, taught to students, that was not, you know, well, widespread, which, really surprises me, because it's it's not, you know, I would understand Quechua and Aymara wouldn’t be necessary to teach here because we are in North America, you know, we are, like, very far from these cultures. But even like an Indigenous language, like the, the one, that are here on the United States, like the one that we should be learning, which is, Lenni Lenape or you know, languages from other Indigenous communities here on the US were not even taught. So I think from my first year, I had this, this doubt that, you know, like, Princeton offers a world class education. But how is your world class education when you teach languages that are not even spoken anymore in this world, but you're not teaching languages that are, you know, on your own country and that are spoken by so many people? So, I feel that Princeton needs to start by that part. And then of course not forget to include these languages that are so important already globally like Quechua or Aymara.

Rachel Jack '27 (09:36)

so the next question is on the administration. If there's one change that the Princeton leadership could make to improve experiences for Native and Indigenous students on campus, what would that be?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (09:46)

I think as students, recently that there has been the problem of a minor in Indigenous Studies, as a result of the advocacy of many students and alumni that have been through this place. So I think that's a big win. But there's still a long way to go. There's universities that, you know, that first of all, have hired Indigenous faculty. I think that's the most important aspect in adopting and, you know, teaching Indigenous studies here at Princeton, hiring Indigenous and Native faculty that can, share about their research and especially share about their research from their position as Indigenous people. I think that's something that needs to be promoted. That would be really great for implementing not only a minor, but a major. And in the future, like many universities like Yale, introduce a physical center for Indigenous study, a physical center for Indigenous students to socialize, to get to meet each other, for Indigenous studies to really deepen on their understanding and learning of their own culture. Princeton needs to look up a little bit into those examples to try to, with all the resources that we have, try to direct them that way.

Rachel Jack '27 (10:59)

Mhm I agree. So we have some extra time. So we're going to ask you some extra questions. How did you feel when you got accepted into Princeton? How does this feeling compare to how you feel now?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (11:10)

Yeah. When I got accepted to Princeton, I actually recorded a video I posted on YouTube. I think it was it was very surprising for me because, I really wasn't expecting to, to get into Princeton and my story’s that I just applied to all these renowned colleges because I wanted them to appear on my, on my YouTube description so I could go viral. And I didn't really knew about my chances because I was applying without an SAT, I was applying, even without a standardized English, test. I was, you know, I was demonstrating that I had, you know, at least had an acceptable level of English. So it was really surprising. And I remember, when I was, you know, screaming, oh Princeton accepted me, my mother, asking, you know, what is Princeton?

In Bolivia, not really well known. You know, these universities here in the US, to the exception of Harvard, that we, you know, very well known everywhere, and even myself, I didn't quite know Princeton. But then, I learned more about it, and it was just such a big opportunity that I felt so grateful for, at that time, and yeah, I mean, I didn't know anyone. I didn't know anyone from my school, I don't know anyone from my community that has come to an Ivy League from a public system in Bolivia. So it was just a big surprise. Big honor. And now that I am about to graduate, I am, you know, partly sad because of leaving this place because I, you know, like, I was, we were talking about community. I have constructed my community here. I also feel excited. Sometimes I have found myself very enclosed in the four walls of a room just talking about, talking about the issues that could be addressed by taking action, with your hands, with your advocacy. I feel really excited to, to start doing that. So I kind of feel sad, but I also feel it's a good time. Necessary time to leave as well.

Rachel Jack '27 (13:05)

That's very cool. What is your experience getting involved with campus life at Princeton? What activities or student groups are you involved in on campus? What drew you to these groups or activities?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (13:15)

I have been involved into a lot of like service-related projects. Since my first year. I have also been part of culture organizations like Natives at Princeton, Princeton Latin American Student Association. I have been very involved with the Emma Bloomberg Center, working as a community ambassador, you know, organizing events. I had the opportunity to travel through the Office of Religion and through the CAF Center to beautiful countries, places. I was part of the Rose Castle society, a religious reconciliation program here in Princeton. I got the opportunity to travel to Cuba with ORL. And this opportunity, I just got to meet amazing people and, you know, got to experience and learn from the resilience of many communities.

Rachel Jack '27 (14:02)

I'm going to ask one question that's like, off script. For your thesis, does your thesis tie into your community and background?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (14:10)

Yes. So my thesis, I am basically looking at why Bolivia, despite having the largest, reserves of lithium in the world, is, not, a competitor, is not a large producer of, lithium derived products. Batteries and all of that. And the way I look at it is, that it's not because, you know, Bolivia is developing country, doesn't have, the capital, it doesn't have the technology because, clearly Bolivia can get those resources from other countries, being in, you know, different partnerships. My argument is that, Bolivia, the government is very centralized and doesn't include the perspectives of the Indigenous communities where these reserves are located in. So, basically my thesis, through qualitative work that I have gathered, you know, talking to these communities, talking to the Indigenous leadership of these communities, just propose what their ambition of resource governance looks like. So they could, you know, work together with the government. So yeah, my thesis is definitely ties with, you know Indigenous communities back in Bolivia. Not my community specifically but other communities that always deal with this problem of resource, natural resource governance in their countries.

Rachel Jack '27 (15:26)

That's amazing. Thank you for sharing. We're going to ask you the final question. What is your hope for future Native and Indigenous students on Princeton's campus?

Gustavo Andre Blanco-Quiroga '25 (15:35)

I really hope they get to find a community where they really feel they belong to, or they can feel people have come with similar experiences. I felt many times isolated on this campus, just because of the experience I have lived and, I really didn't have anyone that could resonate with me. And I think that's, that’s a sign that, more students coming from similar backgrounds like mine should be in these places, you know, and many other Indigenous students as well. And I really hope for the students to, you know, get to through the help of Princeton, get to find a community from the moment they start off their time here at Princeton. And I really hope that they are able to learn more about their culture in their time here, because that's what the university is made of. For people that come from different backgrounds to learn more about themselves, where they come from and I hope that students in the future really get to have that opportunity.