PHOENIX – A program in six Maricopa Community Colleges assists Latino students in staying in school and getting to graduation.
The “HSI EXCELlence” program grew out of the broader “EXCEL” initiative that began in 2014 with funding from the Helios Education Foundation.
“It’s about students knowing they can go to school and changing that mentality [that they can’t] and providing them the resources that are needed to be able to stay in school and complete their degree,” Griselda Zetino, the communications director for Helios, said.
In 2022 more funding from Helios, totaling $4.35 million, expanded the program to serve Hispanic students at six community colleges:
- Estrella Mountain
- GateWay
- Glendale
- Mesa
- Phoenix
- South Mountain
There are currently more than 1,000 students in the program, receiving support including peer mentoring, academic services and financial aid.
Maricopa Community Colleges student services director Donna Lopez-Martinez said the program exists to help ensure Arizona’s economic gains reach local communities.
That’s especially true for young people who can help steer the future of the state’s economy, who she called “opportunity youth.”
“Be proud of your culture and use that to empower yourself to want to get an education, so you can go back to better your family and most importantly your community,” Lopez-Martinez said.
Lopez-Martinez also noted that they’re seeking to get more young men in the program since there is a trend of male persons of color choosing not to go to college.
For student Samantha Segovia, HSI EXCELlence helped her find a community of other Latino students in college.
“Because I’m a first-generation student, navigating that world of higher education was really foreign to me,” Segovia said.
After joining, Segovia said she benefited from peer mentoring resources the most as it gave her someone to talk to about struggles in school.
Now, she’s graduated and works in the medical field, while also returning to the program as a mentor for new students.
“I feel like I benefited a lot from the program, I also felt like paying it forward,” Segovia said.
Lopez-Martinez said Segovia is an example of the program at its best and urges other students from Hispanic communities to consider joining it.
You can learn more about the program on its website.
