Telling the tale of hurricane evacuees

Teresa Guilian ’91AS,’95M, who majored in foreign languages while at the University, translated for former President Bill Clinton last summer as he asked Hispanic victims of Hurricane Katrina what happened to them and what they needed. Clinton and Guilian were touring the River Center evacuee camp in Baton Rouge, La., for the Bush/Clinton Katrina Fund. The center held 2,400 evacuees when Clinton and Guilian were there, but housed 5,000 just after Katrina. Guilian said, “the hardest thing for me was trying not to cry” as she translated each victim’s story. Guilian has been a volunteer translator for the American Red Cross since 2003, translating for that organization during the Santa Ana fires in California. She is employed by the Fairmount (Calif.) School District, helping teachers learn how to use software and translating when needed.