Central Los Angeles : Students Study Their Roots in El Salvador

When Adalia Zelada’s parents left El Salvador in the 1970s, they never imagined that their daughter would go there one day as anything but a tourist.

But last week, the UCLA freshman joined 12 other college students who are studying social and economic issues in El Salvador. The summer program is sponsored by the Central American Resource Center in Pico-Union.

Like Zelada, most of the students are Los Angeles residents of Salvadoran descent. The research, the center hopes, will contribute to post-war recovery efforts in a country most know only through photos and family stories.

“There are lots of kids who, like myself, were raised here and have lost contact with our roots,” said Zelada, 18, who lives in Pico-Union and hopes to become a physician. “It’s important that we identify with our country, and that we are attempting to better the lives of the Salvadoran people.”