Author: Sara Mata

Join the First-Gen Faculty and Staff Coordinating Council celebrating WSU faculty and staff who identify as first gen or are advocates of first gen students. This event will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday Nov. 7 at Wichita State Connect.

Join the Office of Hispanic Serving Initiatives in attendance of an authors series. At 3:30 p.m. Nov. 21 via Zoom, Dr. Joel Perez will lead a webinar focused on “How to Achieve Organizational Excellence through Cultural Humility.” This interactive event will provide an opportunity for participants to move from cultural competency to cultural humility. The event will be available via Zoom and a more in-depth follow-up session will be in-person in the spring semester.

And at 2 p.m. Dec. 5 in 261 Rhatigan Student Center, Olive Room, Dr. Mercy Umeri will provide a talk titled “Lessons to My Younger Self: A Reflection of Guidance, Tools and Inspiration”; a candid discussion pertaining to her new book, “Forty-Five Things I Know For Sure.” Dr. Umeri will share what inspired her to write the book and what she has learned from the process.

Light refreshments will be provided and a few books will be available. 

Join Wichita State as the campus celebrates National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week from Sept. 9 to Sept. 16.

Hispanic enrollment in higher education is expected to exceed 4.3 million students by 2026, far surpassing the growth rate of any other racial-ethnic group by over 10%. As an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), WSU invites the community to the following programs:

• Monday, Sept. 9: HSI leaders will provide an overview of the HSI Strategic Plan and the progress over the past year at 2 p.m. in 261 Rhatigan Student Center, Olive Room.
• Tuesday Sept. 10: Attend a showcase of Latine faculty, student and staff research pertaining to supporting the Hispanic community at 2 p.m. in 265 RSC, Lucas Room.
• Thursday, Sept. 12: Join a Teams presentation by Dr. Mara Lopez, director of HSI Research Center at the University of Arizona, about bridging HSI to research funding opportunities at 2 p.m. RSVP to the session.
• Monday, Sept. 16: To end the week celebration, WSU will host a Statewide Hispanic America Leadership Organization Conference for high school, college and teacher and advisors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in 305/306 RSC, Beggs Ballroom.

Register to attend a Zoom webinar from Hispanic Serving Initiatives related to supporting undocumented students and mixed status families from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday May 8.

The presenters will be Raymond Rico, an immigration attorney; Alex Perez, Hispanic Development Fund Greater Kansas City; and Dr. Melisa Jimenez, Johnson County Community College. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Sara Mata, executive director of Hispanic Serving Initiatives.

The informational session will provide a better understanding of the unique struggles and ways to support undocumented students and mixed status families.

Hispanic Serving Initiatives will host a panel of three Latina Kansas leaders at 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 3 in 314 Rhatigan Student Center, Venters Room.

The panel includes Judge Rachel Pickering, the first Latina to serve on the Court of Appeals; Monique Garcia, owner of Garcia Group, LLC; and Pilar Pedraza, anchor and senior political reporter for KAKE News.

The women will discuss their journeys and share perspectives on doing work in the political realm as well as supporting and representing the community. Food will be sponsored by Connie’s Mexican Restaurant. For questions and more information, contact Dr. Sara Mata at sara.mata@wichita.edu.

HALA Scholarship for Community Service assists students in completing their program of study at WSU. The scholarship was established in 1991 and provides scholarships to outstanding Wichita State students.

The purpose of the scholarship is to provide financial assistance to students while promoting the value of community service to foster a sense of civic duty and commitment to the university and greater Wichita area. The key objectives of the scholarship are to aid in the retention and graduation of WSU students.

To achieve these objectives, the scholarship includes awards based on financial need, academic achievement and service activities. Awarded students must agree to engage in community services activities for WSU and/or community-based organizations. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2024.

A listening session will be held to discuss supporting and advocating for Native American students, current and future, at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 in 226 Woolsey Hall.

Faculty, staff or students interested in collaborating, brainstorming or sharing thoughts on ways to better serve indigenous students at Wichita State can attend. For more information, contact Chantal Nez at chantal.nez@wichita.edu.