In honor of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month, the Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee, COA Ethnic Studies, and the Office of the President would like to encourage everyone to participate in all activities and celebration of the culture, achievements, traditions, contributions, and struggles of Latinx/Hispanic people in the U.S. and beyond. During this time, we can also celebrate the achievement of 2527 Latinx students at College of Alameda who comprise 28 % of our student population (the largest race/ethnic group). These members of the COA Familia succeed in reaching their academic goals despite the challenges of being first-generation college students (Sixty-eight percent vs. 51 % of all enrolled students). Latinx students earned twenty-two percent of all certificates and degrees conferred during the 2021-2022 academic year.
=We are also honored to be a Hispanic Serving Institution, having been awarded a United States Department of Education Title V Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Grant. This grant funds the College of Alameda’s ACCESO Program and our Puente Program. Puente students are thriving and succeeding. The recognition as a HSI college, afforded us the opportunity to be awarded the MESA Connect Program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program).
As a cornerstone of the Ethnic Studies courses, Latinx Studies are woven into the very fabric of our multicultural discourse. It gives us immense pleasure to devote this month to the celebration of the vast cultural and intellectual contributions of all people of Latinx/Hispanic descent. We must celebrate the complex identities and successes and what it means to be Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Chicana, or Chicano. To fully appreciate the uniqueness of these identities, we must acknowledge, appreciate, and recognize their rich history, culture, and diversity.
As we continue to celebrate and participate in the amazing achievements and activities, we still have work to do to better serve our Latinx students by ensuring that they and their families are engaged and supported. We must continue our deliberate, intentional hiring practices to ensure that our faculty, classified professionals, and leadership better resemble our students and our communities. We must also continue to be mindful of the tapestry of our Latinx/Hispanic community, embracing and honoring the diversity therein through courses, programs and services that support and enrich identities and develop a sense of familia at College of Alameda. We are so proud of the work that we have done and will continue to do to ensure more students can access higher education and achieve their academic dream
Please, join us to celebrate the Latinx/Hispanic Heritage month at COA.