梅拉妮卡斯蒂略Cullather，IU的亚洲文化中心主任，最近被任命为布卢明顿人权委员会，可以教成千上万焦急印第安纳新人的一两件事适应变化。\ n此孜孜不倦的敬业精神卡斯蒂略Cullather已经显示出了她在ACC工作中脱颖而出，当它在七月一日时间为市长约翰·费尔南德斯委派专人到七人布卢明顿人权委员会。卡斯蒂略Cullather说，她很荣幸能听到她的任命，因为它会给她新的方式来服务于社会。卡斯蒂略Cullather已经花了很多她的能量多年的社区工作。\ n在1993年，菲律宾的出生和饲养的卡斯蒂略Cullather发现自己面临着来自所有家一般的熟悉度布卢明顿远搬迁。这是一招她从来没有计划做。\ n“我被吓坏了，”卡斯蒂略，Cullather笑着说道。\ nCastillo-Cullather工作作为文化事务总监为美国信息服务时，她的丈夫尼克·卡莱瑟，收到消息说他已经接受了一个教书的位置作为IU外交历史学家。不久之后，卡斯蒂略，Cullather离开心爱的菲律宾山腰她感到自豪的攀登。\ nDescribing自己作为一个谁总是喜欢保持忙碌，确定卡斯蒂略Cullather继续在她的新家她的社区积极参与的传统。已经毕业，从1983年的耶稣会经营的雅典耀大学达沃沟通的艺术学位，卡斯蒂略，Cullather扩大她的领导经验作为达沃的第一个本地生产的电视节目司仪。然后她继续在菲律宾大商场的公共关系办公室工作的情况与美国新闻处工作之前。\ n但她以前的参与并没有完全的布卢明顿准备她。卡斯蒂略Cullather告诉呼吁在菲律宾她的母亲回IU抵达后不久。 \n"I said to her, 'Mom, there's nothing here for me,'" Castillo-Cullather explained. "And she told me, 'My daughter, you create your own opportunities.'"\nCastillo-Cullather acted on her mother's words. She signed up for volunteer work at the Leo R. Dowling International Center, 111 S. Jordan Ave., and the Bloomington Volunteer Network. She also served on the support staff at WTIU public television and worked at the African-American Cultural Center. \nIn 1995, Castillo-Cullather took on yet another role, as a mother, when she gave birth to daughter Isabel. Castillo-Cullather and her husband now have two children, with the addition of Joey to the family a year later. Her children, she said, have given her even more passion and inspiration in her work. \nCastillo-Cullather said her new community, for the most part, welcomed her. \n"I believe there is a majority of people (in Bloomington) concerned with the well-being of everyone," she said. \nBut Castillo-Cullather also encountered racism and discrimination. She hesitated to speak of these experiences because the memories are still painful and because she does not want to speak bitterly.\nYet her own painful awareness of racism propelled her to take an even greater role in fighting it. \nCastillo-Cullather became director of the ACC when it was formed in 1998. She set three clear goals for herself and for the ACC in general: service to students by making the ACC a welcoming home; outreach to the student body by creating programs that bring awareness to the Asian and Asian-American populations; and outreach to potential students and alumni.\nCastillo-Cullather said discrimination is a sad fact of life at IU and in Bloomington, but through cultural education and addressing stereotypes, students and citizens can help rid the community of racism.\n"The Jesuit priests in college taught us to speak up when we see an injustice around us," she said. "They knew that the choices you make lead you to where you are and who you will be."\nWhen asked how successful she feels the ACC and she have been in achieving the goals she set, Castillo-Cullather paused for a moment and answered "about halfway." \nThe ACC, she said, has certainly become a place where Asian and Asian-American students feel comfortable talking, studying and just "hanging out." \nAt nearly the same moment, a student called to her from the kitchen: "Melanie, come have lunch with us!" \n"In a minute!" Castillo-Cullather replied, smiling.\nJunior Jaime Loke, a member of the Asian American Association, said she often takes advantage of the relaxed environment of the ACC to do homework. \n"People are very friendly over there," she said.\nBut as satisfied as Castillo-Cullather is in the development of the ACC, she still has a major concern about the Asian and Asian-American populations at IU: their size. Castillo-Cullather said that during this school year, 850 Asian or Asian-American undergraduates will attend IU. While this is a 14 percent increase over the 1999-2000 school year, it is not high enough to qualify as having truly achieved diversity, she said.\nPart of the problem, Castillo-Cullather said, is that IU has not in the past considered Asian-Americans an underrepresented group. \n "It's a matter of including us in their recruitment efforts," she said. \n Castillo-Cullather said she appreciated the decision IU admissions officials made last year to allow representatives of the ACC to attend minority recruitment events.\nAnother important step, Castillo-Cullather noted, would be the addition of an Asian-American studies program. She said such a program would benefit all students, rather than only Asian-American students, and for that reason she hopes to see initial talks on the addition of this program begin soon. \nAsian Culture Center receptionist Mi-Young Kim said of Castillo-Cullather, "I'm just totally amazed by her energy and enthusiasm." Kim said Castillo-Cullather accomplishes whatever she wants to accomplish, because she negotiates in a diplomatic rather than aggressive way.\nAs a human rights commissioner, Castillo-Cullather holds essentially the same educational tasks as she does as director of the ACC. Additionally, she and her fellow commissioners will investigate and hear discrimination complaints. Commissioners are charged with ensuring that citizens have equal opportunities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. \nCastillo-Cullather is now busy promoting and organizing an Asian-American Symposium Oct. 3 in the Indiana Memorial Union. The Symposium will feature three sessions under the theme, "The Many Faces of Asian Pacific Americans: Evolution of an Identity."\nCastillo-Cullather said she is also inspired by the students to whom she devotes more than 40 hours per week.\n"I'm really touched by students interested in making connections with other students," Castillo-Cullather said. \nFreshmen, newcomers and all students might take a note on making changes from this mountain-climbing, community-serving mom. Castillo-Cullather is not content to follow a path in the same manner as others have; she means to improve the path as she goes.\nIn her simple, confident way, she summed up her personal motto: "If I can do something to better that path, I'll do it"
