Welcome to the Charlas Y Café Podcast! This podcast is produced and hosted by a support group for Hispanic first-generation students called Somos First-Gen. Charlas y Café explores topics relating to first-gen Hispanic students.
Ruth meets with Sarah Balderas, immigration attorney at Balderas Legal Group, LLC, to discuss the current events regarding immigration. Sarah and Ruth discuss what new immigration laws one should be aware of and how one can be safe and keep others safe.
13 Apr 2024
Latina Lider's Ida Loya
Ida Loya of Latina Lider joins us to talk about imposter syndrome and her community project to empower Latinas in Kansas.
16 Mar 2024
First-Gen Law Student, Alicia Silva
Learn more about the process of becoming a lawyer from Alicia Silva. Silva shares her experience as a first-gen student who will be attending Harvard Law School in the fall. Her passion for helping people led her to pursuing law.
24 Feb 2024
Practicing self care
Ruth meets with Emily Cruz, Somos First-Gen founder, to discuss ways to practice self care and how to avoid burnout on this episode of Charlas y Café.
https://www.wichita.gov/CityArts (https://www.wichita.gov/CityArts)
Dance classes by Baila Wichita
https://www.bailawichita.com/ (https://www.bailawichita.com/)
Scroll down our resources page to the mental health section
https://somosfirstgen.com/resources (https://somosfirstgen.com/resources)
10 Feb 2024
First-gen, Vianey Gonzalez
Vianey Gonzalez joins us to discuss her experiences as a first-gen student and following her childhood dream of becoming a teacher.
27 Jan 2024
The Neighboring Movement: A mission to create community
Joining us in this episode is Aileen Rueda-DaCosta, communications and engagement director for The Neighboring Movement. The Neighboring Movement is a non-profit in Wichita whose mission is to create community through neighboring and learning the gifts people have that we might not see on the surface.
Learn more about The Neighboring Movement on their website: https://neighboringmovement.org/ (https://neighboringmovement.org/)
13 Jan 2024
Charlas y Café Episode 7: Managing your time wisely
Joining us in this episode to talk about managing your time wisely in college is Dustin Le. Dustin is local to Wichita and a graduate of Wichita South High School and Friends University.
16 Dec 2023
Charlas y Café Episode 6: Surviving winter break
Ruth and Selena Favela, podcast producer, discuss the holiday favorites and things to do during your winter break.
Links to events mentioned in this episode:
A list of events by Visit Wichita:
https://www.visitwichita.com/events/ (https://www.visitwichita.com/events/)
Botanica’s Illuminations
https://botanica.org/illuminations/ (https://botanica.org/illuminations/)
Lights on St. Paul (Ability Point)
https://abilitypoint.org/event/27th-annual-lights-at-abilitypoint/ (https://abilitypoint.org/event/27th-annual-lights-at-abilitypoint/)
Wild Lights at the Sedgwick County Zoo
https://scz.org/event/wild-lights (https://scz.org/event/wild-lights)
Ice skating at Chicken n Pickle
https://chickennpickle.com/ice-skating/ (https://chickennpickle.com/ice-skating/)
The Nutcracker and Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland
https://www.century2.com/ (https://www.century2.com/)
Christmas movies at Crown Uptown Theatre
https://www.crownuptown.com/calendar (https://www.crownuptown.com/calendar)
Candlelight: Holiday Special Featuring “The Nutcracker”
https://g.co/kgs/rxx37d (https://g.co/kgs/rxx37d)
The Echoes at Vorshay’s
https://allevents.in/wichita/echoes-live-vorshays/200025465579737 (https://allevents.in/wichita/echoes-live-vorshays/200025465579737)
The Polar Express at The Orpheum
https://www.upcomingevents.com/wichita/events/orpheum-theatre/the-polar-express-143523 (https://www.upcomingevents.com/wichita/events/orpheum-theatre/the-polar-express-143523)
Ugly Sweater Experimental Beer Fest by WBC
https://www.visitwichita.com/event/ugly-sweater-experimental-beer-fest/40383/ (https://www.visitwichita.com/event/ugly-sweater-experimental-beer-fest/40383/)
Cookie Decorating Party at Exploration Place
https://www.visitwichita.com/event/cookie-decorating-party/35306/ (https://www.visitwichita.com/event/cookie-decorating-party/35306/)
Pentatonix Christmas Tour at Intrust Bank Arena
https://www.intrustbankarena.com/pentatonix (https://www.intrustbankarena.com/pentatonix)
Basketball: Wichita State v KState https://www.t-mobilecenter.com/events/detail/k-state-vs-wichita-state (https://www.t-mobilecenter.com/events/detail/k-state-vs-wichita-state)
Basketball: Wichita State v KU
https://www.t-mobilecenter.com/events/detail/ku-vs-wichita-state (https://www.t-mobilecenter.com/events/detail/ku-vs-wichita-state)
Below are a couple of our favorite holiday recipes:
Ruth’s favorite Mac n Cheese-
Tip: Broil for 2 minutes on high
*Grate your own cheese DO NOT used pre-shredded cheese, this gives the cheese sauce a very powdery taste and feel
Oven temperature 375 for 15-18 minutes then broil for 2 minutes if you want a hard crust
Ingredients:
1 lb elbow pasta
5 tbsp unsalted butter
5 tbsp all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp ground mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
2 cups (8 oz) sharp cheddar cheese plus 1 more cup
2 cups (8 oz) medium cheddar cheese plus 1 more cup
2 cups (8 oz) colby jack cheese plus 1 more cup
*This is optional, but I used 1 cup additional of each cheese to add before baking!
Selena’s favorite- Grandma Charlene’s Peanut Butter Delight
1 ½ cups peanut butter
4 cups quick/instant oats
2 tsp vanilla
Combine in a large bowl and set aside.
4 cups sugar
6 tbsp cocoa
1 cup milk
1 cup salted butter (stick)
Combine in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute then remove from heat. Pour into large bowl with other ingredients and mix together. Once fully mixed, pour into a flat pan.
Optional- put foil in the pan, then once it becomes solid after cooling, you can pick up the foil out of the pan and lay it flat so it’s easier to cut into squares.
Tip: This treat can be left at room temperature, but we prefer to store it in the fridge!
2 Dec 2023
Charlas y Café Episode 5: Managing stress & studying for finals
Wichita State’s HALO (Hispanic American Leadership Organization) members join our host, Ruth, in discussing how they manage stress and tips for studying for finals.
Show notes:
Wichita State HALO @wsuhalo
https://news.wichita.edu/2023/08/24/student-organizations-on-campus-halo/ (https://news.wichita.edu/2023/08/24/student-organizations-on-campus-halo/)
WSU Student Health Services
https://www.wichita.edu/services/studenthealth/ (https://www.wichita.edu/services/studenthealth/)
Hispanic Development Fund scholarship https://www.hdfkc.org/hdf-scholarship (https://www.hdfkc.org/hdf-scholarship)
KHEDF
https://khedf.org/scholarships/ (https://khedf.org/scholarships/)
18 Nov 2023
Charlas y Café Episode 4: What is KHEDF?
Tune in to learn all about the Kansas Hispanic Education Development Foundation (KHEDF) from a couple of their team members! Learn about the scholarships and programs they offer and how you can benefit from them. Additionally, the KHEDF team members share their first-gen stories and offer their pieces of advice to students.
Guests: KHEDF Team members, Micaela Ramirez and Nayeli Cano
Find the resources mentioned in the episode below:
Dreams to Degrees: Scholarship Workshop Series RSVP - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHjts7q1XKXMuKt9LhLISTVPjSrmHehHuVJSSj17p7zRvqJg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3gawKQj8kSk0VlaPFgspOSU7hUhKypwdXyBic7tnycpeFesnurjUeNg2s (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHjts7q1XKXMuKt9LhLISTVPjSrmHehHuVJSSj17p7zRvqJg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3gawKQj8kSk0VlaPFgspOSU7hUhKypwdXyBic7tnycpeFesnurjUeNg2s)
KHEDF Website - https://khedf.org/ (https://khedf.org/)
KHEDF Scholarship Application - https://khedf.org/scholarships/scholarship-application-form/ (https://khedf.org/scholarships/scholarship-application-form/)
Evergreen Library (KHEDF Offices) - 2601 N Arkansas Ave. Wichita, KS 67204
KHEDF Phone Number - (316) 285-0291
KHEDF Instagram - @dreamstodegrees | KHEDF Facebook - Kansas Hispanic Education & Development Foundation
4 Nov 2023
Charlas y Cafe Episode 3: Choosing a major with Keila Garcia
Join Ruth and guest speaker, Keila Garcia, as they reflect on their journey in choosing a major in college! They speak about the challenges and uncertainties they faced during that process while also offering advice to first-gen students who may be experiencing similar situations.
21 Oct 2023
Charlas y Cafe Episode 2: Keeping your cultura
In this episode, Valeria Paunetto joins us to talk about how we can maintain our culutra throughout college! Valeria is a student at Wichita State University, majoring in Social Work. She speaks about her personal experiences as a Latina in higher education and offers advice to students of color thinking of or currently in higher education. See below for the resources mentioned in the episode:
Adelante Scholarship: https://www.wichita.edu/services/odi/scholarships/adelante-scholars/ (https://www.wichita.edu/services/odi/scholarships/adelante-scholars/)
Herencia at WSU: Contact Valeria for more information
Office of Diversity and Inclusion at WSU: https://www.wichita.edu/services/odi/ (https://www.wichita.edu/services/odi/)
KHEDF Scholarship, Opens November 1st, 2023: https://khedf.org/scholarships/ (https://khedf.org/scholarships/)
Contact Valeria for questions at vepaunetto@shockers.wichita.edu
7 Oct 2023
Charlas y Cafe Episode 1: Meet the Somos First-Gen Team
Welcome to the Charlas Y Café Podcast! This podcast is produced and hosted by a support group for Hispanic first-generation students called Somos First-Gen. In this episode, meet the team that leads Somos First-Gen! Listen to their first-gen stories and learn more about why they have chosen to support the effort to support other first-gen students.
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
11,315
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 37 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
39
Social presence
0
YouTube
85
Engagement
0
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