4 | The Villanovan
NEWS
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Feature: Spit Dining Hall “Grandma” Virginia Esquerra Hannah Sweeney Co-News Editor Virginia Esguerra is among the many hardworking staff members in Villanova’s Dining Services. Yet, her sociable and enthusiastic personality has quickly made her one of the most well-known and well-liked faculty members on campus. Just last year, at age 76, Esguerra came out of retirement to work at Villanova’s Donahue Court and Donahue Market. Within just a few months of her working at Villanova, groups of students began stopping by to greet her at work almost every night. Villanova sophomore and dining hall employee Kristina Cooper witnessed these interactions first-hand. “As a cashier at Donohue Court, I have the pleasure of witnessing Virginia’s positive impact on the student body,” Cooper said. “As the students come in for dinner, when they see Virginia, they immediately light up and she greets them with warmth and positivity. It’s very clear to see that she makes each student at Villanova feel very special.” Student Isabella Balian also commented, adding that her trips to the dining hall were always made better by Esguerra’s warm welcome. “Virginia is one of the most kindhearted and special people I have met at Villanova,” Balian said. “As a freshman, I would go to
Students gather around employee Virginia Esguerra for a photo. Courtesy of Kiely Fleming.
the market every so often to get ice cream and Virgina would meet me with the sweetest smile and compliments. She deserves the world and her enthusiasm and joy lights up the entirety of Spit.” Cooper’s and Balian’s responses when asked about Esguerra were just a few of many positive comments. Yet, Esguerra feels just as positively about the students as they feel about her. “I came back to work because I love working with students,” Esguerra said, when asked about her decision to come out of retirement to work at Villanova. “They are giving me a long life. Serving them keeps me happy and healthy.”
However, Esguerra’s love for helping students began long before Villanova. In the Philippines, where Esguerra is from, she taught high school and college calculus. It wasn’t until the 1980s that Esguerra moved to the United States and settled down in Philadelphia. There, she attended Drexel University and, in 1988, graduated with a master’s degree in business administration. Esguerra then found a job in New York City as a quality control manager for manufacturing in the fashion industry. She worked this job for 30 years, until temporarily retiring. Now, at Villanova, she has found a place where she can use her experi-
ence to work with students again. “Sometimes students come in and ask me to read over their essays,” Esguerra said. “Other times they come in and ask what medicine they should buy when they are sick. Helping students is why I come to work every day, rain or shine.” Before Spring Break, several students even expressed their appreciation for her by greeting her at her car with flowers and chocolates. “It gave me goosebumps,” Esguerra said. “I almost started to cry.” In addition to caring for all the students at Villanova, Esguerra has two kids of her own and seven grandchildren, whom she talks about to all her students. One of her grandchildren is even following in her footsteps and attending Drexel University this year. “She is always so proud of her grandchildren, who are doing well in school and advancing in their career,” Balian said. Esguerra’s love for family is what makes her connection with Villanova students so special. “Virginia is like my grandma away from home,” Balian said. Student Kiely Fleming echoed this point. “She cares for all of us so much, especially freshmen, which is really comforting since we are all away from home for the first time,” Fleming said. “It means so much.” “Villanova University is the extension of my family,” Esguerra said.
VU Chapter of Philly Justice Project Attends Conference Isabella Balian Staff Writer Villanova’s Philadelphia Justice Project Attends the Annual Innocence Network Conference Last weekend, Villanova’s chapter of the Philadelphia Justice Project (PJP) attended the Innocence Network’s 20th annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Fifteen students from the chapter left Villanova for the conference on Thursday morning and returned on Sunday morning. These students were led by chapter president Ajée Robinson and organization founder Dr. Jill McCorkel. The Innocence Network serves as an informal coalition of independent innocence organizations dedicated to combating wrongful convictions worldwide and reforming the criminal legal system. This annual conference worked to unite directly impacted people, advocates and others who work to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions and provide post-release support. The mission of the weekend was to promote learning through educational programming, relationship-building, collective action and healing. Attendees worked to celebrate victories, strategize around challenges and recommit to fighting for a more just future. An array of speakers presented on assorted topics of importance speaking from their own experiences working with the prison incarceration system. Executive Board President of the Innocence Network, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, and an Ari-
zona Justice Project board member delivered an opening plenary address Friday morning discussing the mission of reflection, restoration and celebration. One of the board members of the Innocence Network emphasized their goal of transforming and dismantling wrongful convictions by staying truthful to the movement. Conference attendees were given the opportunity to attend different breakout rooms that focused on niche areas of topics. Some breakout room topics included “Federal Habeas Corpus Litigation Workshop,” “LGBTQ Implications in Wrongful Conviction,” “Consideration in the Legal Representation of Indigenous People” and “Secondary Trauma and the Innocence Network.” One breakout room was entitled “Community Organizing, Advocacy and Reentry.” During this presentation, selected panelists discussed stereotypes and stigmas that impact those affected by incarceration that correlate to difficulties in housing, employment, healthcare and even personal relationships. “We are grateful to have been released from prison; however, we have not made it home yet until we can start the healing process,” one presenter said. During the presentation, selected panelists emphasized the role of advocacy for criminal legal reform, community organizing and peer support services in the healing journey. “The panelists brought up relevant points about organizing community to create a sense of shared accountability for change,”
The Innocence Network logo. Courtesy of The Innocence Network / Facebook
PJP senior Christina Folan said. “It inspired me to become more involved in the communities that I find myself in, such as Villanova, and promote more reform and advocacy for incarcerated and free people.” On Saturday night, students attended the closing plenary, where exonerees shared stories of takeaways and experiences from their lives. After returning from the conference, Villanova students reflected on their takeaways. “The biggest takeaway from this experience was the vast amount of tenacity that so many exonerees and their families hold and their ability to take their experiences and create a space for other people to learn about the injustices of the government and the systems at play
against them,” PJP senior Marika Yang said. “The exonerees and their families represent so much bravery that I will never forget.” “My biggest takeaway from the conference were the many different forms that injustice in our criminal system can take, from police coercion and brutality to medical examiners citing a wrong cause of death and lack of social resources for exonerees and the newly freed,” PJP sophomore Angelica Ciofalo said. “Simple reform is not the answer. There needs to be a full revamping of our current system, and advocates, lawyers, and exonerees must all be a part of the discussion in this essential undertaking.” **Conference presenter names have been omitted due to respect and privacy reasons**