SAN DIEGO — A new education program that enriches Latino students is getting high marks.
Mi Universidad is in its first year at UC San Diego’s Division of Extended Studies. The free program offers 14 courses from the arts to sciences.
“That's what I am looking for to work in this country is to be an actor,” said Luis Prado.
He is one of 900 students going through the program. Every day Prado commutes from across the border to achieve his dream of becoming an actor in Hollywood or on Broadway.
“Without sacrifice, there's no victory. I believe that every time I get home late and I'm going to be tired, but it was worth it,” said Prado.
He is part of the new UC San Diego’s Division of Extended Studies Mi Universidad program that offers free Spanish-speaking courses to all adult Latino students, and they earn college credits.
“It’s not any course that comes out of a can that is translated and thrown at them. It's courses developed specifically for this community,” said Nara Muniz I. Franca, Ph.D., Program Director, Mi Universidad.
She says the average age of a student is 30 to 50 years old, many with international college degrees who don't feel supported.
“It’s very crushing. Coming from another country and a feeling we don't belong. And we hear this message all the time,” said Muniz.
She says some of these students speak Spanish at home and know English but never considered themselves bilingual until they learned proper Spanish in one of the Mi Universidad courses.
“We have students that are coming to us and say, well, now I got a raise, because now I put on my resume that I speak Spanish when they grow up speaking Spanish at home. It's about empowering, being proud of being Latino or Latina, being proud of being part of this community,” said Muniz.
This program is described as building a community that is about connecting with local partners.
Morgan Appel, Assistant Dean, UCSD Education and Community Outreach says while they have local students, more than 30 percent of their student population at Mi Universidad lives in Mexico, other students take online courses from Latin America and Canada.
“We realize that whether something happens in Tierrasanta, Tierra del Fuego or Tijuana, everything is all very much connected,” said Appel. “One region, one heart, and one economy.”
This new program provides many opportunities for equity and access to the Latino community.
“Everything is learning, learning, learning, you're learning and at the end, everything will be for something good. That's what I truly believe,” said Prado.
Registration for Mi Universidad is open for the winter semester. It goes from January 17 to March 20. All classes are in the evening. School leaders say U.S citizenship is not required, and student status is protected.
They'll also be offering a new course for parents to help their child navigate the college system.
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