UNIVERSITY PARK | Students at Governors State University are adding one more task to their busy lives: researching their ancestral history.

Vanessa Villalobos, a marketing representative for the Association of Latin American Students at Governors State, said it is important to know who is out there and what they have done.

"By knowing our ancestral history we are really allowed to enrichen ourselves," Villalobos said. "We have to know what's out there."

As part of that mission, the university's Association of Latin American Students hosted a presentation Thursday by Rita Arias Jirasek, the author of "Mexican Chicago," a book co-authored by Carlos Tortolero.

The book expands on the history of the Mexican culture migrating to Chicago and provides photos, documents and detailed information on 150 years of Mexican history in Chicago.

Jirasek was inspired to write the book because the subject is greatly understudied in the Midwest, she said.

"It has always bothered me that the cultural history that was selected was agricultural," Jirasek said. "This piece about the Mexican culture in the Midwest and the urban reality of it is something that was really unknown publicly at the time, but much more common now."

Joshua Zumhagen, a member of the student organization, said he was moved by the presentation.

"I think it's very inspiring to hear other success stories about Latino students," Zumhagen said. "It really encourages me when I can actually see the success of others."

Zumhagen has been assisting his grandmother for the past two years in finding their roots. He took notes for his grandmother, who flew in from Texas to learn more about the presentation.

The event also inspired Villalobos.

"It was amazing to me to learn so much history," Villalobos said. "I grew up in the exact area she was talking about and to know how it all began, it's just an eye-opener."

During the presentation, Villalobos realized some of the monuments that where photographed were part of her everyday life, and she never knew they had such a history.

Zumhagen, among other students, said he realized the need for an education.

"I think having an education is where we all struggle the most," said Zumhagen, who hopes he can make a difference after graduation. "There is such a large need for Latinos to get into college and to really educate themselves so we can have power in the U.S."