By Lizette Najera-Perez
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This past Thursday, the Honors Center held a focus group for Latine members of the Honors program. The purpose was to give insight and a voice to a portion of Honors students for the development of a focus group or section that would be similar to the Black in Honors program. The integration of a focused group like these can help these groups with personal struggles that most of them can relate to. For instance, the struggle of both first gen and second generation college students. Or, their classes lack representation, so they might be able to find it elsewhere.
In the event, students were met with a warm welcome from members of the Honors staff, as well as Dr. Perez and Dr. Johnson-Davis who were able to explain more about what they are trying to develop in Honors, specifically for the Latine group. The students were then able to present their thoughts and ideas on the topic with help from guidance questions with no pressure, as it could be presented verbally and written. Some of the things mentioned were informational meetings with presenters whose stories reflect that of the focus group. Others were to schedule events that are able to represent the diverse culture that the term Latine includes — the frontrunner being Loteria. As someone who attended, I can attest that our ideas were heard and considered. Additionally, we even learned some things from the point of views of our peers and from Dr. Perez and Dr. Johnson-Davis. The group, although small, was diverse in majors as there was Engineering, Psychology and even Business, to name a few.
Overall, the event was an amazing opportunity to give Honors students a voice and give them a chance of being part of a huge development in Honors, which is incredibly important because leadership and using your voice can enhance your own college experience and better it for others. Its one of the ways someone can gain new experiences as well. For most of the students in attendance at the event, it was their first program event, but they enjoyed it and admitted to how excited they are to see the progression of a focus group with student input. They were also able to find commonalities with their peers. If you also want a chance to be heard and in general make connections, be sure to attend UHP events in the future. And if you want more of a leadership role, be sure to attend the UHP leadership group, the Peer Mentoring Program and even The Honor Code. Lastly, for more information about Latine in Honors, Dr. Perez and Dr. Johnson-Davis would be the ones to contact. (Sandra.Perez@csulb.edu) (Cherell.Johnson-Davis@csulb.edu ) Be sure to stay updated on events with the Honors Newsletter !
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