Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council Kicks Off Its On-Campus Event Series
The Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council at NJIT hosted its first event on campus encouraging students to network with invited guest speakers and industry professionals, campus support groups, faculty, staff and — importantly — each other. The monthly meeting series, Café y Conexiones, or coffee and connections, featured Provost and Executive Vice President Fadi P. Deek, as well as HLLC members Angelica Ogando and Francisco Cortes.
The HLLC was formed to support NJIT’s goal laid out in its 2025 strategic plan: Become a Hispanic-serving institution and have at least 25% enrollment of Hispanic full-time undergraduate students. NJIT hit its first milestone in this year’s incoming class, reaching the 25% mark for its freshman cohort.
Taking a holistic approach to fostering a culture shift at NJIT, the HLLC sees the entire lifecycle of a Hispanic student, from pre-college all the way through alumni and everything in between. Where HLLC is making its first immediate impact is with current students, and Café y Conexiones shows its potential as an effective measure.
“It’s not just about getting students to enroll and admitting them into school, but it’s making sure they are successful, and that they have a good experience, that they get a good education and they graduate,” said Bob Medina ’75, co-chair of the HLLC and member of NJIT’s Board of Overseers since 2013.
An important role for us is to not translate, but trans-create.
A recurring event offers students the chance to regularly meet with those on- and off-campus that can help advance their education and future careers. It also creates a feeling of family among the group, an important cultural aspect with Hispanic students.
“We believe in family, and we believe everything is done en familia,” said Ogando, founder and CEO of The Enriched Mind, LLC. “We want to speak to the community about the opportunities that exist within the university. Things get lost in translation from English to Spanish, so an important role for us is to not translate, but trans-create.”
Reaching students in both the language they speak, and the culture that they are familiar with, is vital for both attracting and retaining Hispanic students. Ogando is active in the pre-admission and outreach subgroups within the HLLC where the group will work with NJIT on creating and modifying pre-college programs to reach Hispanic students from elementary age to high schoolers.
“Today was the first in-person event. When you talk over un cafecito, it means you get to know each other, you get to connect,” said Cortes, small business owner and co-founder of the New Jersey Veterans Chamber of Commerce.
Students bonded over more than just coffee. The vast bowl of arroz con dulce had vanished over the course of the event, sure to entice more students for the next meeting of Café y Conexiones.
The mission of the first meeting was a success in bringing together Hispanic students of the university that did not know each other and introduce them to the faculty and other council members. As the group grows and participation increases, HLLC members and students will assist each other as NJIT pursues its goal of becoming a fully-fledged Hispanic-serving institution.
