Tennessee Voices, Episode 235: La Comunidad at Middle Tennessee State University
La Comunidad began at Middle Tennessee State University as a means to help Latino students find a sense of belonging on campus.
Faculty adviser and education professor Laura Clark saw the need along with other staff to provide a place for support and encouragement.
Many of the Latino students in the group are first-generation college students, and statistically, are at greater risk of dropping out of school for financial or other reasons.
COVID-19 made it even harder for students because of the switch to virtual classes for a time and the financial stressors at home.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices podcast, Clark, diversity dissertation fellow Armando Anzellini and six students talked about their experiences and why this group matters.
They include La Comunidad's president Gabriela Campos, who wants to work in health care. She said she withdrew from MTSU for financial reasons but later returned.
They include Marcos Alvarado, a transfer student from the University of Memphis, who is studying construction management.
The others are Alex Torres Martinez, who studies criminal justice and wants to join the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; Bea, a biology major, interested in going into medical research; Sergio Centeno, an engineering major, who wants to go into robotics; and Stephanie Solorio who is a social work major.
Clark said the students are a living embodiment of persistence and resilience.
"They didn't give up and stayed the course in the face of difficulty," she said.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Creating a community of belonging for Latino students at MTSU
