It is hard to believe that what started as a small program for NEIU’s Latino students is celebrating 40 years already. This is shocking to some, as many students believe that El Centro has only existed for couple of years. With student enrollment increasing rapidly, NEIU and its students cannot deny El Centro’s presence.
“El Centro was created 40 years ago and the intention was to bring the university closer to the community,” said Dr. Daniel Lopez, the current Director of El Centro. El Centro’s origin began as a response to the challenges of Latinos and civil rights in Chicago during the 60s. It began as a storefront operation in 1966, and was known as Aqui Estoy (Here I Am). Rosa Hernandez-Ramirez became the first director of the program.
The center began as a tutoring space that also provided ESL classes for Latino students. As the years went by, the directors changed, along with the name of the program up until 2003, when Lopez became director of El Centro. Under Lopez, El Centro has undergone many changes including a building renovation and expansion, which included two computer labs, more classrooms, and a resource center for students and people from the community.
Now, El Centro is a comprehensive campus branch with undergraduate and graduate courses, academic support programs, food services and student life. One of the many services that El Centro provides are outreach activities for the community which help people deal with issues of job employment, housing, education, health and technology.
“We’re making a difference in the community, helping people who wouldn’t have had an opportunity without NEIU and El Centro,” said Lopez when speaking of the need of the programs they provide.
One of the programs that is facilitated by El Centro is the Early College High School Dual Credit Program which helps high school juniors earn college and high school credits simultaneously.
The program’s goal is to help students learn and gain experience in the college setting so that they can transition from high school to college. The program currently consists of 18 students enrolled in general education classes. Other programs include El Centro’s Guidance, Inspiration and Academic Support (GUIAS) Peer Mentoring Program which guides NEIU freshmen to graduation. The program fosters an environment that will help freshmen progress by providing social support, motivation, university resources and tutoring through individual sessions. El Centro has also developed a club, Future Teachers of ASPIRA, which pairs both NEIU faculty and ASPIRA to encourage and support ASPIRA students majoring in education.
One of the biggest differences between NEIU’s main campus and El Centro is that El Centro offers specialized courses for students who work full-time by offering several weekend and night classes.
“We work with students who don’t have school as their first priority and that’s okay. We accept that, but we support them in any way we can to make it important, to make education a priority. It’s a great university and El Centro is a piece of that, making it possible,” said Lopez.
When asked about one of the best parts of his job, Lopez said, “Seeing the building full of students.” Since Lopez began his position, student enrollment in El Centro has grown from 300 to over 1,000 students. Surprisingly enough, less than half of students come from Latino heritage, making El Centro a branch of NEIU that is not only reserved to helping Latino students. All these accomplishments are well worth a celebration and both the NEIU main campus and El Centro are dedicated to celebrating in the biggest way possible.
Both campuses are hosting a variety of events including Latino scholars’ lectures, community art exhibits (in which funds are given for scholarships), poetry readings, a study tour of Guanajuato, Mexico, and a family day, which includes events such as a soccer game and an outdoor movie night.
The main event is the 40th Anniversary Gala on June 4, which will include a performance by NEIU’s very own Ensemble Español.
“We don’t have a lot of money to do these events. So, we’re very happy to have funds from community organizations, community partners, and local businesses in the area,” said Lopez as he explained the celebration’s planning. “We have over 20 dedicated staff working on events worthy of our struggles and accomplishment. We have very few resources but we’re frugal. We simply supplement the needs of our community.”
The celebration also marks the beginning of El Centro’s fundraising campaign to help secure the center’s future and to continue to raise money for scholarships. For more information on El Centro’s 40th Anniversary events check out http://www.neiu.edu/~elcentro/40thAnniversary/.