10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY November 23-29, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Navigating the school system and feeling a sense of belonging on campus can be a drag, particularly for those students stepping into an unfamiliar culture or distant location. The experience can be overwhelming, and many times their studies suffer. “We don’t want anyone to feel like they’re alone going through the struggle, because we’re all going through that,” says Betsi Solis, a CSU Monterey Bay graduate who admits to struggling when she moved from Los Angeles to Monterey County with a full-ride scholarship. “It was a huge culture shock. I didn’t know anyone and my grades slipped.” At the time, Solis found it difficult to manage coursework and expenses, and was afraid of losing her financial aid. “Had I had someone here on campus to guide me, I think it would have been a little bit easier,” she says. Solis is now a co-director of El Centro, a hub at CSUMB that brings Latine students together and provides resources and support when they are struggling, both academically and emotionally. El Centro started during the spring of 2023, doing pop-ups and outreach at different school events. “We want to be Latinx-producing and Latinx-serving,” explains Suzanne García-Mateus, an El Centro co-director, speaking of the university as a whole. “What that means is creating spaces like El Centro, where students have a sense of belonging, students know where the resources are on campus, and more importantly, know how to access them.” The goal is to make students feel welcome on their campus and increase graduation and retention rates among the Latine population. Like Latinx, Latine is an encompassing word, embracing a group of people of multiple gender identities. The idea—being encompassing—applies to El Centro in other ways too. It is led by Latine faculty, staff and students. All them come from different Latin American roots, including Salvadorian, Guatemalan, Mexican, Chicanx and Panamanian. This semester, El Centro has a physical space decorated with the flags of many nations. CSUMB has long been recognized for its efforts to attract and support Hispanic and Latine students. Almost half of the student body—46 percent—identify as Latine. (With more than 25-percent Latine enrollment, it is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic Serving Institution.) The school has many programs to help students, such as Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, TRIO Student Support Services and the College Assistance Migrant Program. What sets El Centro apart is that many other services have eligibility requirements, geared toward low-income, first-generation or migrant students. But any Latine student can use El Centro. The hub offers workshops like Spanish tutoring, resume building and financial literacy. It helps students to develop their educational and emotional skills in order to succeed inside and outside the classroom. For Guadalupe Barragan, an El Centro student coordinator, the center is a safe space to take a break between classes. Barragan says she feels empowered every time she helps fellow students find resources on campus and wants them to know that “there’s a space for you, there are events that are hosted around your culture. We want you to feel comfortable to come to us.” El Centro also offers cultural events. In October, they set up a Day of the Dead altar. Students and staff bond over language, shared experiences and food. El Centro has offered conchas and coffee, a taco block party and, on Nov. 30, will host a poetry and pozole event. In its first year, El Centro has done well attracting local and international students. Now the goal is to advocate for increased diversity of CSUMB faculty. García-Mateus encountered her first Latine teacher when she enrolled in a required course and ended up making the subject—English literature—her major. García-Mateus notes that this wasn’t a coincidence. “I think it was because I finally saw someone like me,” she says. Life Support El Centro is a hub at CSUMB dedicated to helping Latine students on their educational voyage. By Celia Jiménez Students Gerson Orella Prudencio and Lara Arias—an international student—as well as faculty coordinators Kenny Garcia, Suzanne García-Mateus and Betsi Solis are all part of the team that supports Latine and Chicanx students at CSU Monterey Bay. “I didn’t know anyone and my grades slipped.” TALeS From THe AreA CoDe DANIEL DREIFUSS Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at MPCC! Feeling for our Members, Board of Directors & Volunteers and their efforts to make the Monterey County business community so vibrant! thankful
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