In a matter of days, for some, perhaps weeks, a new phase of life begins for tons of young people. It’s college, a whole new chapter. A lot of them will make the transition from top-of-the-food chain high schoolers to college freshmen easily. For others, not so much, especially those who’ll find themselves in foreign territory, academically and socially.
While it may be uncomfortable, the reality is that too many of these young people making this transition are young Latinos and many, the first in their families to have this experience. For them, they will be strangers in a strange land.
Rudy Vargas was once one of these new freshmen. “I came to UNC in 2009,” he shared. Accompanied by his father to the Greeley campus with not much more than lint in his pockets, his Dad reached into his wallet and gave him half the money he had. “He had $20, and he gave me $10.” Then he said goodbye.
Back then, Vargas said, if there was a support system to guide him through this mystery and maze, he was unaware of it. But he got lucky. Somehow, he crossed paths with Aldo Romero, UNC’s Director of Cumbres, a program aimed at supporting Latino students pursuing teaching degrees. He also met Tobias Guzmán, who runs the university’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The pair, Vargas said, were “key in making my success happen.” Today Vargas is UNC’s Director of the Cesar Chavez Cultural Center and Undocumented Student Services programs. Romero and Guzman remain, he said, both friends and mentors. “They worked with me whenever I had a question… they made me feel comfortable.”
Today, UNC is one of a handful of Colorado’s Hispanic Serving Institutions, a designation given to a college or university with a student population that has at least a 25 percent Hispanic enrollment. At UNC, being an HSI school means Latino students don’t have to feel alone and isolated, as Vargas did so many years before. HSI money guarantees financial assistance for various student programs.
With the designation, Greeley’s and northeastern Colorado’s flagship university now has the resources to provide support to students who need guidance on everything from financial aid to immigration information. Many of UNC’s Latino students are undocumented or DACA, the government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
“It continues to be difficult because a majority of students don’t have access to DACA.” Also, he said, a lot of students have not been able to apply and “many students have no documentation at all and struggle to find documentation.” With the Presidential Election coming up and ex-President Trump’s promise to deport millions, Vargas said, “there’s a lot of uncertainty.”
Metropolitan State University of Denver, also an HSI designated school, recently was recognized as one of only nine universities across the nation for its service to Latino students. MSU Denver was awarded the prestigious Seal of Excelencia.
“Those that earn the seal are trendsetters…showing what it takes to progressively increase positive outcomes for Latino, and all, students for others ready to meet the mission,” said Deborah Santiago, CEO of Excelencia in Education.
“Attaining the seal is just the beginning,” said MSU Denver President Janine Davidson. “The seal serves as a partner to ensure we continue to sustain our commitment…not only for our Latinx students but for all of our students.”
MSU Denver, said Dr. Manuel del Real, is fully committed to fulfilling the mission of both HSI and the recently awarded Seal of Excelencia. “We have prepared more than 30,000 students for the workforce,” he said. As MSU Denver’s Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, del Real said the school’s pledge is evident in its placement and staffing of offices where students can go on a daily basis.
“We have a Center for Multiculture and Inclusion,” that also includes student workers, some of whom have benefitted from current programs. “But all students are welcome,” said del Real. The office is located in the Tivoli Building.
“Today,” he said, “we have grants (available to students) to support what isn’t working.” If a student wants to major in STEM and can’t afford to go to Boulder or Mines, “MSU Denver has a bunch of programs that can help.” He calls them “a STEM ecosystem.” Still, said del Real, “any student can come here and be in STEM that is in their price range.”
While overseeing the MSU Denver Office of D.E.I., is his job, del Real said it is impossible to escape the altruism of the mission, a mission that has recently been used politically to negatively brand, including labeling Democratic Presidential nominee Vice President Harris as an “D.E.I baby.” A slur equating ethnicity with undeserved promotions.
MSU Denver, said del Real, rejects that characterization. “I’m continuing a legacy of support of serving students,” he said. “I’m proud of the work we do at MSU; it humbles me.” The MSU Denver administrator said, a tone of defiance in his voice, “I am not creating lies…we’re sowing the seeds of what it means to truly serve not only students but the state of Colorado.”
Both schools try and go the extra mile in lending a helping hand. UNC and MSU Denver also try and stay in touch with the families of students—in person, over the phone or through electronic communications—to make sure they know the progress and success of their children.
Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) has been educating Latinos long before it achieved its HSI designation in 2005 and celebrates its distinction each fall with a variety of campus activities. CSU-Pueblo is a popular choice for many Pueblo area Latinos and rural southern Colorado students.
This year the school along with an estimated 500 colleges and universities will mark National Hispanic Serving Institutions Week from September 9th through the 15th. CSU-Pueblo Hispanic student enrollment is approximately 34 percent.
CSU-Pueblo is known for its many degree programs and is now led by President Armando Valdez, a native of the San Luis Valley. Valdez is a 16th-generation American who can trace his roots back to northern New Mexico in the early 1800s. His family settled the southern Conejos County in 1860.
Honoring its HSI designation, CSU-Pueblo continues to serve a diverse student population.
