El Centro: VCU’s empowering commitment to the Latinx community
Nati Feliciano-Soto, Contributing Writer
VCU is embracing its diverse student body by introducing a Latin-based inclusive resource center, El Centro, dedicated to supporting Latinx students, faculty and staff.
The resource center’s efforts focus on enhancing both the academic journeys and the overall experience of Latinx students at VCU, providing them with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.
VCU is taking a transformative step in empowering Latinx students with crucial opportunities that will foster growth, inclusion and success in the academic world — a world of which we represent 21% as of 2022.
The new resource center serves as “an emotional sanctuary where people can express themselves — a social space where there is community and cultural connection,” according to Oswaldo Moreno, an associate professor of psychology at VCU and El Centro’s founding director.
The Mexican-American professor emphasized that despite the partnership with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, the Latinx community can now have a structure on campus to exclusively call their home.
El Centro will play a pivotal role in fostering academic excellence among Latinx students at VCU. As a Latina media production student, I believe initiatives like these are crucial for creating a more inclusive and supportive environment — especially in an industry where experience and connections are vital towards my success.
Students like me will soon have access to research opportunities, workshops and a formal writing group to engage with other students, faculty and staff. They will also be offered the chance to collaborate on their scholarships, milestones and professional networks.
These efforts are designed to ensure Latinx students not only feel included, but are also given every opportunity to excel academically.
Anita Nadal, an assistant professor of Spanish and assistant director of El Centro, noted an increase in Latinx visibility compared to when she began teaching at VCU over 20 years ago.
Beyond academic representation, El Centro will focus on increasing financial support for Latinx students through various scholarships, such as the Latinx Scholarship Fund, which alleviates financial burdens for many by introducing competitive funding.
Coming from a middle-class family, I understand the unique financial challenges that can arise when pursuing an education — especially as the child of a first-generation college graduate. My mother, who earned her bachelor’s degree in education in the early 2000s, came from a low-income Puerto Rican family and faced significant obstacles in pursuing higher education.
Now, as a second-generation student, I still find myself struggling to secure the financial aid I need, despite the progress my family has made.
These grants are designed to support those with Latinx backgrounds in the advancement of Latinx-focused research and teaching. Grants can be life-changing for people like me — helping alleviate financial pressures and allowing students to focus on their education rather than worrying about how to afford it.
They aim to take the time to send out announcements and be a resource to inform students of what’s available and the deadline.
“El Centro is here to keep you informed,” Nadal said.
To expand their financial opportunities, students, faculty and staff will also have the opportunity to join the El Centro Advisory Board — who, in Moreno’s words, will “serve as the focal point of decision making,” including supporting and guiding the initiatives of El Centro.
The final component of El Centro’s strategic plan is a mentorship program. The initiative aims to provide students, faculty and staff with the opportunity to collaborate with others who have professional experience in their desired field.
It also serves as a safe space to help mentees navigate their pursuit of higher education, hiring processes and even imposter syndrome, according to Moreno. This allows Latinx students the opportunity to contribute greatly to the community’s advances.
As El Centro continues to develop, its impact on the Latinx community at VCU is expected to grow through several principles: The sustainability of Latinx success, advocacy, service to the community and academic and social visibility.
As a Latina community college transfer student, I understand being introduced to spaces that are generally dominated by more privileged people can be intimidating. It can make us feel worthless or not good enough due to financial constraints or lack of experience.
Like other programs VCU has provided, such as Pathways — the program that helped me transfer to VCU — I hope El Centro can live up to its promise. I wish it does not become just another resource center with a fill-in-the-bubble approach to accommodating the Latinx community.
I hope it propels the Latinx community to the greatest heights of success — introducing our generation to academic opportunities, events and even the most super-secret internships that can put their career on the map.
When representation isn’t forced, it can inspire people — no matter their background — to become just like the doctors, teachers and journalists they look up to.
Despite the treacherous anti-immigrant propaganda that is aimed towards the Latinx community, we have shown that our contributions are essential to a more equitable and thriving society, along with every other minority group.
Diversity should have always been a logical practice in society, not something that is just now gaining attention and being labeled as “woke.”
As a country founded by a cultural mosaic of immigrants, our white-washed society has long overlooked the value of true inclusivity, often by hindering the success of someone just because they are Latinx.
As an American with Puerto Rican heritage, I strongly believe we are treated as second-class citizens — even though the generations before me who left their homes on the island to chase the “American dream” worked hard to do so.
My mother started an educational revolution in my family when she graduated with her master’s degree in 2010 at the age of 40. Despite the many financial and personal obstacles she faced, her resilience inspired my aunt, two cousins and now me to pursue higher education and break those generational curses.
If resource centers like El Centro were all over the country — not just in universities, but in all types of communities where Latinx are present — they could have the ability to thrive and achieve the “American dream” too.
By investing in initiatives that foster inclusivity and support, VCU is taking significant steps to empower the Latinx community. VCU students who want to be involved should note that there is no membership required — rather, Moreno and Nadal encourage everyone to be a part of El Centro’s journey.