Welcoming Líderes Avanzando students to the UnidosUS familia

In 2015, UnidosUS established the Avanzando Through College (also known as Líderes Avanzando) program with the goal to equip students with the skills, information, and support systems needed to thrive and graduate from college. Now in its seventh year, the program has expanded to 23 sites and has over 2,000 student participants. This year we also welcomed four new college partners: Houston Community College, Los Angeles Community College District, Miami Dade College, and Peralta Community College District.  

Avanzando Through College facilitator team in Chicago this summer for their training.

As this new academic year takes off and new students begin their college journey on campuses across the country, the Avanzando Through College program facilitators are starting to welcome their new students into the UnidosUS and Avanzando familia.  

The Avanzando program offers monthly workshops and events focused on topics identified by researchers, practitioners, and students as being vital to college retention and success of Latino students. The program’s implementation model also reflects the comprehensive approach to serving first-generation college students. Our 23 Affiliates and higher institution partners are kicking off their orientation sessions and first workshop sessions this month, in which students will have the opportunity to explore characteristics and experiences that make them uniquely who they are.  

“My work is driven by my passion and love for my community. Through this program I hope my students find power in their own experiences and identities as Latinos to successfully navigate college.” – Third Year Avanzando Facilitator Ebelin Gomez 

At Pueblo Nuevo-Camino Nuevo in Los Angeles, students recalled their vibrant homes and cultures through the “I Am Poem” activity. Students also started to discuss their goals for the semester and wrote them down on an Encanto-themed flower so they could be reminded every time they came in for their session. Ebelin Gomez, the Pueblo Nuevo-Camino Nuevo facilitator’s main goal is that her students feel empowered and uplifted when they step into a predominantly white institution and know they have an entire community cheering them on.  

PUENTE Learning Center’s orientation session 

Avanzando represents a unique and active collaboration between a national organization, institutions of higher education, and community-based organizations in the UnidosUS Affiliate network. These partnerships give students a personalized, culturally competent support network that adds value to the college experience of Latino students and provides the support necessary to navigate the higher education system successfully. Thanks to our funders, PepsiCo, StateFarm, and Wells Fargo for supporting our vision for our Latino students; without them, this program would not be possible. If you are interested in the Avanzando Through College program, please get in touch with our Program Manager for Avanzando Through College, Dania Castro, at [email protected].

 

We want to welcome all of our Avanzando students to the UnidosUS familia and wish them all the best this academic year!  

Avanzando Through College Sites 2022-2023:

• AltaMed Health Services Corporation, Los Angeles, CA
• Baylor University, Waco, Texas
• Canal Alliance, San Rafael, CA
• Centro Hispano of Dane County, Madison, WI
• Educación Para Nuestro Futuro Founded By Escuela Bolivia, Arlington, VA
• Esperanza, Inc., Cleveland, OH
• Georgian Court University, Lakewood, NJ
• Houston Community College, Houston, TX
• Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN
• Latino Community Center (LCC), Pittsburgh, PA
• Los Angeles Community College District, Los Angeles, CA
• Mexican American Council Inc., Homestead, FL
• Miami Dade College, Miami, FL
• Para Los Niños, Los Angeles, CA
• Pueblo Nuevo Education and Development Group, Los Angeles, CA
• PUENTE Learning Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Peralta Community College Distric, Oakland, CA
• Purdue University Latino Cultural Center, West Lafayette, IN
• SALEF, Los Angeles, CA
• El Sol Academy, Santa Ana, CA
• Lorain County Community College, Lorain, OH
• Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, SC

Avanzando Through College students at Georgian Court University in New Jersey.

 

Avanzando Through College students at Pueblo Nuevo Camino Nuevo in Los Angeles.

 

Avanzando Through College students at Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis.

 

Avanzando Through College students at University of South Carolina Upstate.