College Hosts 'Beyond Multiculturalism: Empowering Latino Students and the Community' Conference
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA • April 9, 2015)—As part of Delaware County Community College’s commitment to providing access and quality education to Latino students, the College will hold the “Beyond Multiculturalism: Empowering Latino Students and the Community” conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 24th on the College’s Marple Campus (901 S. Media Line Road, Media, PA, 19063).
This will be the first conference held at the College specifically focused on Latino issues in education and Latino youth leadership and advocacy. It is sponsored by the College’s faculty-led Latino Initiatives and Outreach Network (LION) in collaboration with the College’s student-led Latin Flavor Club. The conference is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but is requested.
Two keynote presentations will occur during the conference. The first keynote presentation, "The Path to College Graduation: Latino Student Success and Concerns" by Dr. Idna Corbett, dean of Undergraduate Student Support Services at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, will focus on the factors influencing the Latino achievement gap in college. The second keynote presentation, “A Conversation with Hernán Guaracao,” publisher of AL DÍA, a Philadelphia-based, Hispanic-owned news media organization, will be during lunch.
In addition, two panels of experts will discuss the effects and factors influencing the Latino achievement gap in college and the importance of youth leadership and institutional support at college campuses. There also will be a panel of Delaware County Community College Latino student leaders who will discuss their experiences at the College and the role of student involvement and leadership in their academic success.
Additional conference participants include: Dr. Jose Cabrales—program manager for the national, multi-site Lumina Latino Student Success effort of Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit group that advocates for Latino students; Gilberto Gonzalez, senior designer creative services at Community College of Philadelphia and host of “Entre Nosotros,” a weekly current affairs cable TV show; Dr. Marisa Pereyra, associate professor of Spanish at Immaculata University and chair of the Global Languages and Cultures Department; and Edna Vidal, a peer mentor at Montgomery County Community College and founder/president of Drops of Love International, a nonprofit group that educates and advocates for people in and from Cali, Colombia.
The conference also will feature a screening of the 2014 award-winning documentary “Underwater Dreams,” which explores the true story of a team of undocumented Mexican high school students, who, under the guidance of two dedicated science teachers, enter the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center’s International Remotely Operated Vehicles competition, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean Exploration, and NASA. The four students from Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Arizona compete against college teams, including a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and win first place.
After the screening, students featured in the documentary will participate in a Q & A session via Skype.
About the Latino Initiatives and Outreach Network (LION)
The Latino Initiatives and Outreach Network (LION) is a new organization made up of professors, College administrators and students, who seek to recruit, retain, empower, graduate and advance Latino/Hispanic students at Delaware County Community College. LION is interested in creating volunteer and outreach opportunities in the community and leadership and career development programs, as well as academic support programs at the College. In addition, LION is interested in collaborating with state and local organizations in the community to develop partnerships focused on college accessibility and student learning that complement the academic, personal, career, social and cultural development of Latino/Hispanic students.
About the Latin Flavor Club
The Latin Flavor Club is a student-led group at Delaware County Community College that has been instrumental in building strong connections between students of all racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds at the College. The Latin Flavor Club provides student mentorship opportunities, as well as organizes social events and fundraisers to raise money for scholarships and to assist College and community organizations.
For more information, contact:
LION Coordinator Fernando Benavidez, Assistant Professor of English, at (610) 723-1231, or fbenavidez@dccc.edu; or LION Coordinator Dr. Jose Francisco Mazenett, Associate Professor of Spanish and French, at (610) 359-5228, or jmazenett@dccc.edu.
