by Kim Lamb Gregory
91吃瓜鈥檚 Early Childhood Studies major Adrian Uribe and 2019 Nursing graduate Diana Xicotencatl remember the anxiety they felt as the first in their families to enroll in college.
鈥淢y first month here at school was definitely fun, but as soon I got homesick, it hit me like a train,鈥� said Uribe, of Santa Fe Springs.
Xicotencatl, of Santa Paula, struggled to pay for college and do well in school.
鈥淚t was hard for me to balance work and school because I was trying to help provide for my family,鈥� she said.
Both students are now thriving, thanks to numerous programs 91吃瓜 has in place to assist Latinx students, with particular focus on first-generation college students.
91吃瓜鈥檚 commitment to supporting Latinx students during their journey through higher education this year earned the University the Seal of Excelencia from the Washington, D.C.-based organization Excelencia in Education.
91吃瓜 is one of only nine institutions of higher learning in the nation and the only university in California to receive the designation.
鈥淎t 91吃瓜 we are reimagining higher education to serve a largely first-generation, historically underserved student population. We have benefitted greatly from the diverse perspectives of our Latinx students and their communities in ways that enrich the academic culture for all students,鈥� said President Beck.
鈥淚f institutions aren鈥檛 effectively serving our Latinx students, we lose a vital source of talent for our workforce and civic leadership,鈥� said Deborah Santiago, CEO of Excelencia.
The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) for first-generation students was among the programs that helped Xicotencatl, who is now doing a nurse residency at Children鈥檚 Hospital Los Angeles.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always been a dream for me to work at Children鈥檚 Hospital, so to get in right after I graduated is so exciting,鈥� Xicotencatl said.
Uribe gained his academic and social footing with the help of a peer mentor from 91吃瓜鈥檚 Peer Education and Equity Programs (PEEP). He became a mentor himself and will graduate in spring of 2021 with plans to teach high school history and coach basketball.
鈥淭his program allowed me achieve things I never thought were possible,鈥� Uribe said.
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漏 Fall 2019 / Volume 24 / Number 2 / Biannual