Dominican University: Serving Latine Students in the Midwest
By: Verónica Gutiérrez, MBA’22, Dominican University, River Forest IL and Marcela Reales Visbal, Exercise Director for Title V, Portion B – Marketing Put up-Baccalaureate Chances for Hispanic Us residents, Dominican College, River Forest IL
“I experienced never listened to of the time period HSI right until I came to Dominican University”, explained Verónica Gutiérrez, a to start with-technology Latina who grew up in just one of Chicago’s northwestern suburbs and lately graduated with her Master’s in Organization Administration from Dominican.
Dominican College is one particular of 30 Hispanic Serving Establishments in Illinois, and a person of 15 that presents graduate programs.1 Though most HSIs are concentrated in the U.S. Southwest, Puerto Rico, and New York, Dominican proudly serves the midwestern Latine local community. The faculty is considered Chicago’s Premier Catholic HSI.
Like Verónica, lots of learners at Dominican are first-era college or university college students and from traditionally marginalized communities in the Chicago metropolitan place. With Latine pupils accounting for 20% of school undergraduates in the United States, it’s vital to be intentional about serving this subset of the population.2
How? By creating on students’ assets and presenting them equipment and resources that will support them succeed.
Considering that the slide of 2017 Dominican College has been awarded Title V and Title III grants aimed at escalating Latine and small-earnings pupil good results. These resources develop and boost tutorial offerings, academic support companies for undergraduate and graduate pupils, career and professional preparedness, and co-curricular offerings this sort of as a Fiscal Wellness system. They also guidance college and staff throughout campus to develop into more culturally inclusive through their operate and educating techniques.
“When I arrived to Dominican there was an overall aim on the properly-being of the pupils,” mentioned Verónica. “It felt like a ton of the school, these kinds of as Professor of Administration Molly Burke, were being normally pretty fascinated and anxious about how the pupils ended up executing, providing tutorial support and connecting us with individuals and means.”
Though pursuing her MBA, Verónica was a graduate assistant for the Fiscal Wellness plan. The application, led by Ramiro Atristaín Carrión features students fiscal literacy workshops, fiscal guidance, undergraduate internships, and volunteering possibilities in the group. The assistantship gave Verónica an prospect to broaden her understanding of Monetary Literacy, mentor undergraduate students, and gain project management capabilities.
This knowledge led her to go after her existing occupation as a expert for larger instruction: “As a 1st-gen pupil I normally locate it helpful when institutions present instruments and assets that empower the pupils, irrespective of whether it is by way of experiential prospects like internships or graduate assistantships, that will supply activities desired for a lot of our learners,” she explained.
Verónica has usually been committed to mentorship and advocating for her local community.
“Growing up I had quite supportive academics that generally believed in my likely, so I considered that I could achieve what ever was in my intellect,” she explained. “I would also say that representation does make a difference. Ramiro was in investment decision banking, and I experienced in no way satisfied any individual from Latin The usa that was in expense banking, so it was the initial time that I entered the space and thought that anything at all was achievable!”
“We are unable to be what we are not able to see,” writes actor and social justice advocate Michael K. Williams in his posthumous memoir.3
Furnishing a wide variety of tools and chances for our students to see over and above what they know and do well on their endeavors, is important to aiding them be the ideal-possible variation of on their own.
1Excelencia in Education: Hispanic-Serving Establishments (HSIs): 2020-2021
2National Center for Schooling Statistics and The White Residence: A Proclamation on Hispanic Heritage Establishments 7 days, 2022
3Williams, Michael Kenneth, and Jon Sternfeld. Scenes from My Existence: A Memoir. Crown, 2022.
Verónica Gutiérrez at present is effective for a consulting firm in Chicago. She graduated debt absolutely free by making use of the particular finance ideas taught by Ramiro J. Atristaín-Carrión in the software. Verónica thinks in empowering folks by equipping them with the knowledge, resources, and expertise they will need to be productive. Her long run purpose is to get started a economical literacy software to empower ladies and other initial-technology university learners.