Lillian Barocio
Staff Writer
For the first “What Matters to Me and Why” talk of the semester Veronica Escoffery-Runnels, associate professor, school psychology and program chair of educational counseling, spoke about the importance of choosing one’s words carefully.
Escoffery-Runnels explained that there is power in words, during the Aug. 29 talk before roughly 40 community members in the Ludwick Center Sacred Space.
Words are communication, they can build us up just as fast as they can tear us down, Escoffery-Runnels said.
“Words are everywhere and they help us navigate the world,” she said. “Words are life-giving, they have the power to shape our realities.”
Escoffery-Runnels told a story she dubbed the “deodorant story.”
It began when her parents arrived in the U.S. in the 1960s, as immigrants seeking the American dream. They landed in Los Angeles.
Escoffery-Runnels said her father, who spoke heavily accented broken English, entered the store looking for a particular item to which her father pronounced “deo-door-ant” making the store clerk confused until figuring out he meant “deodorant.”
Escoffery-Runnels said she never noticed the cultural differences with words until someone would correct her. Her father also never forgot the deodorant story, and he was determined to teach his family to speak English perfectly.
Escoffery-Runnels finished her presentation by reminding the audience to be mindful of the way they use words.
The presentation was followed by a Q&A.
“She uses words to brighten our day and she does it so effortlessly, I don’t even think she notices but it has a positive impact,” Danielle Meseberg, a field work specialist for the LaFetra College of Education, who attended the talk.
“Her speech was a reminder of how powerful words are,” University Chaplain Zandra Wagoner said.
The monthly series is sponsored by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Black Student Services and the Center for Multicultural Services.
The next “What Matters to Me” talk will be Sept. 19. Grace Xia Zhao, professor of music, will speak.
Lillian Barocio can be reached at lillian.barocio@laverne.edu.
Lillian Barocio is a sophomore journalism major and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
Mia Byington is a senior photography major with a minor in marketing. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
