LRC Fall '21 Wrapped

Latinx Resource Center Newsletter

You did it! ¡Ya llegamos al fin del semestre! With finals week and Fall semester wrapped up, we congratulate you on the hard work to get here, you have come so far! This semester has been filled with many great moments of (re) connection, persevering, and redefining what our communities of care can look like at SDSU. We will continue carving out spaces of collective care, persevering through what’s ahead and fostering spaces where students not only succeed, but thrive in their fullness.

The LRC invites you to look back at all the moments of connection and community we shared this semester, and we look forward to sharing many more ahead next semester, as well as sharing upcoming exciting updates for the next chapter of the Latinx Resource Center.

This year was momentous for the Latinx Resource Center. It was our 1st semester of in-person operations and hybrid programming. We got to meet students in person, engage and interact with you, colegas, staff and faculty beyond the Zoom screen.

Fuentes de Orgullo / Sources of Pride

This Fall, the LRC launched various key initiatives including COMUNIDAD Scholars and First Year Experience cohorts, two academic support and retention initiatives providing support through care advising, peer mentorship, an academic course and faculty guidance through a culturally grounded lens.

We also launched the Culturally Connected Research Hub led by Profe. Dominguez and Mariano Lozano Soto, Graduate Assistant, which fosters and provides an accessible culture of humanizing, community-based undergraduate research through various opportunities that are culturally responsive and inviting to all students.

We relaunched En Confianza @SDSU, in partnership with Counseling and Psychological Services and Joteria Sin Fronteras, in partnership with Pride Center, two support groups that foster and provide supportive spaces to build community, connections, and guided support.

We launched Celebrando Nuestras Raices celebration, the 1st campus wide heritage celebration between September 15 - October 15 celebrating Latinx culture in partnership with the Office of HSI affairs and the CNR planning committee.

We collaborated with Dr. Norma Iglesias-Prieto and the Chicana/o Studies Department to create the Dia de Muertos Altar, which this year honored our loved ones who passed from COVID19. This partnership will continue each year to ensure we continue this important cultural celebration for our community;

Despite a challenging semester navigating an ongoing pandemic, we saw students come together, find and build community at the LRC. This semester, the Latinx Resource Center had 2,411 visits to the LRC and Welcome Desk and 1,169 students participated in various events and programming both virtually and in person.

Gracias a todes! / Thank you to all!

The impact of this semester was accomplished by the collective labor of love and commitment by the LRC team- our leadership team: Erik Esqueda (LRC coordinator) Dr. Michael Dominguez (Augustine “Gus” Chavez Faculty Scholar and COMUNIDAD director), Yesenia Sanchez (LRC director), COMUNIDAD team members Lesley Aguirre, Daisy Gomez Fuentes (Graduate Assistants), Peer Mentors: Abraham Martinez, Cassandra “Cassy” Hernandez, Elisa Mendez-Pintado, Marlene Chavez-Corona, Marlenne Carrillo; Culturally Connected Research Hub Graduate Assistant Mariano Lozado Soto, Programming Graduate Assistants Guadalupe “Loops” Torres, Nancy Bahena, and Ser Flores and the Peer Navigator team Eliana Allize Jimenez, Gabriela “Gabby” Baez Campos, and Guadalupe “Lupe” Felix.

Gracias for your commitment, love for your gente, and passion to ensure the LRC is an affirming and welcoming space for students.

Gracias to the Cultural Centers and partners across SDSU who’ve shared insights, resources and engaged in key collaborations to holistically support Latinx students this past semester and throughout.

And a special GRACIAS to you, estudiantes, for embarking and entrusting us in this journey. We‘re excited for the next chapter of the LRC with y’all and a new semester together! In the meantime, we wish for each of you a replenishing and restorative winter break with much rest, good food, and joyful times with your loved ones and chosen family.

LRC Students in the News

A few weeks back LRC graduate assistant Daisy Gomez Fuentes was profiled by NBC News, profiling First-Gen Latinas. The article “Latina first-generation college students draw on lessons, mentor others“ highlights Daisy’s work in the COMUNIDAD Scholar’s Program and her work supporting other first-gen students to succeed at SDSU.

Our graduate assistant, Nancy Bahena, was also selected as a Sally Casanova Scholar, a CSU initiative to inspire and support undergraduate and master’s students to pursue PhD programs. Felicidades to both of you!

De Sus Voces: COMUNIDAD estudiantes

This year we launched the COMUNIDAD and First Year Experience cohorts for 1st-year students who participated in the COMUNIDAD USEMs taught by Dr. Michael Dominguez and Yesenia Sanchez. The curriculum, developed by Profe. Dominguez anchors the lessons in fostering knowledge and pride where students come from, their roots and cultural legacy, and key academic skills to provide foundational support in their first year. Students were able to explore various topics and engaged in in-class discussions and assignments. One of the projects was the development of poems that affirmed their lived experiences and recognized the strength of their voices. Below we share a selection of the poems created by students, who shared through their words their struggles, resilience, and perseverance.

I am from Riverside California

From soccer shoes and goalie gloves

I am from the smell of horses that surrounded my home

I am from the aloe vera plant,

whose inner gel healed as if it was my mother's hand

I am from those novelas I watched daily with my mother.

I am from boats and lakes

From Lopez and Macias

I am from the loud obnoxious

and the quiet know it alls.

From staying humble and helping others

I am from "With God all things are possible"

And a rosary in every car.

I am from Josefina and Santiago's branch

From the warm homemade tortillas and eggs everyday

I am from the struggles my grandmother went through,

To the long hours my grandfather worked.

I am from the struggles of being myself

I am from the fear of not being accepted

To not letting others decide the way I live life

From not being your typical Latina young woman

I am from being your absolute self without caring

I am from Riverside California

Where I shared a room with my sister

Creating an unbreakable bond

I am from those moments

That created unforgettable memories.

- Angie Lopez

Artwork: @Princessa_Xicana

Instagram

I am from my mothers care and love

And the love from my sisters

I am from the cool breeze of Long Beach

And the loud Mexican household across the street

I am the middle child who could not stop crying

From “I want mi papá!” to “I hate spelling!”

I am a second grade repeat

From having tutors that my mom could not pay for

I am the one who wanted to quit basketball

Because it was too hard to keep up with everyone

I am the one who was angry at my coach

Because he pushed me to try harder

I am from being afraid to fail

To loving the feeling of accomplishment

I am from being afraid to try

To embracing what scares me the most

I am from a strong lady warrior basketball team

Who became my reason for putting in everything I had

I am from a supportive, caring, and strong coach

Who I am grateful to call my father figure

I am from a lost year

That was taken away from me by a deadly virus

I am from the isolation of my beautiful friends, teachers, coaches, and school

That was my year And

I will never get it back

I am crying from all the fighting

I am hurting from all the yelling

I am surrounded by my family But

I feel so angry

I am from a hot headed temper that appeared from the depths of my being

I am from the comfort of my best friend

Who held me when I cried When

I was too afraid to be held

I am from struggles that built me

I am from bullies that broke me

I am from people who loved me

I am from believing in me

- Jacqueline Marin

Artwork: @embody.create.heal

Instagram

Latinx Mental Health

We have all seen and felt the direct impact of this pandemic, at the individual and collective levels. This has been especially clear and pronounced in the students we support and serve, who have navigated multiple challenges as 1st year or returning students. An area where we have especially seen the impact is mental health.

We share this report recently published by the U.S. Surgeon General “Protecting Youth Mental Health” bringing attention to the unprecedented challenges young people face- today and prior to the pandemic- and the devastating impact to their mental health. Of key importance, the report acknowledges and centers on environmental factors that impact young people's mental health and provides recommendations and resources for caregivers, educators, school administrators and staff.

This article in the L.A. Times, “How Latinos are Bonding Over First-generation Trauma” also offers insights into the challenges that Latinx children of immigrant families face and the emotional impact of these.

Lastly, we invite you to check out this series by the L.A Times, “Pandemic portraits: The Latino experience”, which analyzes the devastating toll and impact COVID19 has had on the Latinx community and the challenges that lie ahead for our communities.

Resources

The LRC is hiring this Spring 2022 for Peer Mentors!

Deadline to apply is Sunday, January 2 at 11:59 PM

If you have any questions, please email latinxresourcecenter@sdsu.edu or DM us here.

We welcome you to apply and join our equipo next semester!

Apply Here!

The LRC is here for you over the holiday break! Please note our library welcome desk operations will be closed, but we will still be available by appointment at our Student Services West 2537 location.

Please email latinxresourcecenter@sdsu.edu to connect with us!

Please check out this intro to undergraduate research course offering! This course covers Area B (Social and Behavioral Sciences) GE.

SDSU Job Opportunities:

We share these job opportunities from the Educational Opportunity Programs and Ethnic Affairs Office for the following positions:

EOP Outreach Specialist (Student Services Professional II)
EOP Assistant Program Coordinator (Student Services Professional II)
Guardian Scholars Coordinator (Student Services Professional III)
EOP Counselor leading Men of Color Initiatives (Student Services Professional III)
EOP Counselor leading Summer Bridge and peer mentor program (Student Services Professional III)

Semester Recap

As we wrap up this semester we wanted to give a special thank you to all the partners and collaborators we had this semester who helped manifest the programs, events, and learning opportunities for our estudiantes!

Please enjoy some of the highlights of joy, love, learning, and laughter from this semester and get ready to make new ones this Spring semester.

Fall '21 Wrapped Highlights

Happy Holidays from the LRC! Nos vemos el año nuevo!