DES MOINES, Iowa —

Actress and advocate Gabriela Fuentes is launching Proyecto Echoes Migrantxs, Des Moines' first-ever Spanish-speaking theater program. Her mission is to create a safe space for Latino adults to engage with the arts in their native language.

"I always say theater is the activity that makes my heart happy," Fuentes said. "It's so into our nature as human beings."

Fuentes, an actress and migrant from Bolivia, has studied how theater can be used as a social tool to improve communication. When she noticed a lack of Latino representation in film and theater, she wondered, "Where are they?"

The program is gaining attention and helping participants like Rocio Gonzalez, who is from Mexico, reconnect with their roots while making new connections in the community.

"It was the

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