By David Ysais
This is a game changer for Latinx students trying to succeed at the college level. San José City College has been selected to receive a new federal Hispanic Serving Institution grant that will support the new Sí Se Puede program on campus. The $2.9 million grant comes to SJCC from the U.S. Department of Education, and only 13 community colleges in California were on the awardee list.
SJCC’s Dean of Academic Success and Student Equity, Dr. Rene Alvarez, says this HSI grant focuses on “creating innovative programs to assist low-income, first-generation Latinx students to move forward to completion and entrance into the workforce.” Alvarez says this will include a “path to math” starting within the dual enrollment structure, going through the summer bridge program, and focusing on the work of the STEM majors so they can satisfy the college math requirements before becoming full-time community college students.
New supervisor Xiomara Martinez will lead SJCC’s Sí Se Puede program. Martinez has extensive experience in SJCC’s outreach areas and a deep understanding of the challenges facing Latinx students who do not come from a college-going environment. She’s committed to an aggressive recruitment effort this summer to serve the most vulnerable Latinx students and use SJCC’s extensive courses to make them transfer or workforce-ready.
“A lot of the students that have shown interest in Sí Se Puede have been asking questions about our career education classes and pathways, things like becoming an electrician, along with plenty of interest in the STEM fields,” Martinez says, “and then we have a group of students who are still trying to figure out what they want to do. They have varying interests. One told me she wanted to be either a teacher or an engineer. We will serve them as well.”
Martinez says the summer recruitment push will help the program identify students who will benefit from the Sí Se Puede experience. “Definitely, first-generation students will be recruited. Some of them are already participating in dual enrollment. Some students live in the campus neighborhood and have never set foot on campus. Having those conversations with them is very important.”
The college-going culture among Latinx communities in San José is limited. Only 19 percent of Latinx households in Santa Clara County have someone who has earned a bachelor’s degree. Add to that declining enrollment among Latinx students due to the burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and there is an equity gap facing these communities. This HSI grant seeks to close that gap with a number of strategies.
The Sí Se Puede Program has established five goals, including:
· Strengthen Latinx and low-income students’ successful transitions to postsecondary enrollment within SJCC’s community and service region through Dual Enrollment and Summer Bridge Experiences.
· Strengthen Latinx students’ academic success and sense of belonging through pre-college outreach and First Year Experiences (FYE), Student Pathways to Opportunity and Transfer (SPOT), Honors courses and co-curricular activities.
· Close academic equity gaps for Latinx and low-income students by addressing completion & transfer success.
· Strengthen institutional praxis through evidence-based professional development to yield a stronger sense of belonging in college for Latinx and low-income students.
· Increase SJCC’s reputation for academic excellence and equity through increased completion of degrees and transfer success by members reflecting our community.
Martinez emphasizes student engagement as she launches Sí Se Puede this summer. “I want them to make informed decisions about their college education, no matter what they want to do. Some students enter a major saying someone told them they could make a lot of money, but I point out is this something you really want to do?”
Martinez knows the goals for the Sí Se Puede program are ambitious, but she is committed to responding to student needs. SJCC has ramped up efforts for student recruitment on the East side of San José, which resonates with Martinez, whose kids grew up there.
She explains…” Our neighborhood, our community deserves this.”
