UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education will host the forum “Strong Voices, Key Messages from Latino Undergrads: How UCSB Can Truly Become ‘Hispanic Serving,’” on Friday, February 5 from 12:30-2:00 pm in ED 1213. The forum will be led by Laura Romo, Professor of Education and the Director of the Chicano Studies Institute, and Rebeca Mireles-Rios, Assistant Professor of Education. The event is co-sponsored by the Chicano Studies Institute and the Associate Vice-Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Academic Policy.
The event is free and open to the public, but for planning purposes please RSVP: RSVP@education.ucsb.edu by Tuesday, February 2.
In 2014-2015, UCSB reached the 25% Latino undergrad student enrollment threshold to become designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), making it eligible to apply for federal funds to support the educational progress of its growing underrepresented minority (URM) student population. In response to Latino students’ desire to have input in the process, the Chicano Studies Institute convened a workshop to gather their thoughts on how UCSB can best serve their needs as well as those of other URM students. This forum will share students’ perceptions of factors that positively impact their college experience as well as critical areas in need of improvement.
Laura Romo is a Professor in the Department of Education specializing in child and adolescent development. Her research examines the impact of the mother-daughter relationship on Latina adolescent well-being. Topics include how mother-daughter communication is associated with dating and sexuality outcomes, body image, and academic achievement and aspirations. A major focus of her work is how to design culturally appropriate family-based training workshops to improve communication between Latina mothers and daughters. Much of this work has been supported by a William T. Grant scholar award. She has undertaken a new project that involves collaboration with preschools that serve low-income Latino children to teach them about health concepts in the context of science activities. The important implications of this work has been recognized and funded by a major grant from the National Institute of Health.
Rebeca Mireles-Rios is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education specializing in child and adolescent development. She received her K-8 Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and MA from UC Berkeley. Prior to receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Mireles-Rios was a middle school teacher in Berkeley Unified School District for numerous years. Dr. Mireles-Rios’ research examines the educational expectations of Latina/o students and the connection to parent and teacher support. She studies Latina/o adolescents perceptions of teacher support; the role of maternal expectations on education communication; and student trajectories into higher education. She looks at the inequalities in educational outcomes to understand the processes that can potentially increase Latina/o high school student college enrollment and retention rates.