Unanue Scholars Program: Improving College Access for Local Latina Students

Catawba College

Project Overview

The Unanue Scholars Program serves junior Latina students from public high schools in Rowan County, North Carolina. Recipients of the scholarship are provided with a cost-free course at Catawba College and mentorship from Latina members of the College community. The program increases college readiness, provides a meaningful class experience, and develops a cohort of supportive scholar peers to support Latina youth in understanding that college is achievable and attainable.

Recent iterations of the Unanue Scholars Program have centered around a sustainability-focused course, designed to explore the interconnections of youth empowerment, ecofeminism, and the sustainability movement across the United States and Latin America. ENV 1110, Latinx Leadership: Youth, Indigeneity and Sustainability, connects Scholars to concepts of political ecology, leadership theory, environmental history and each concept’s intersections with Latina and Latino youth.

Background

The Unanue Scholars Program was announced in February of 2019 to honor distinguished Catawba College alumna Mary Ann Unanue ‘81, who rose to the rank of Vice President at Goya Foods, Inc. before her passing in 2009. The concept for offering this opportunity to the local Latina community arose from discussions amongst faculty at the College after witnessing similar experiences for minority males in other areas of the country and noting a desire to support a growing population of students in Rowan County, North Carolina that might not be considering college.

Goals

The Program Goals are as follows: 1. Honor Mary Ann Unanue ‘81 and her legacy. 2. Demystify the college experience for Latina high school students in Rowan County, North Carolina. 3. Strengthen the social impact of the College’s work. 4. Provide an educational experience centered on the interdependence of socio-economic and ecological systems. 5. Create a multi-stakeholder support network for Scholars. 6. Cover knowledge gaps Scholars may have about the decision to pursue postsecondary education, their personal identities, and their futures. 7. Remove cost barriers from understanding the college experience. 8. Provide meaningful connections and opportunities for Latina mentors in the Catawba Community. 9. Advance social capital through experiential education with group trips and meals. 10. Create a positive feedback loop of successful scholars, mentors, and representation for local Latina youth.

In addition, ENV 1110 sets educational outcomes for all Unanue Scholars. These goals are:

  1. Understand interdisciplinarity and intersectionality as they relate to sustainability.
  2. Explore what Latinx means and its relationship to Hispanic/Latino heritage and identity.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of indigeneity and how it relates to justice through academic and practical lenses
  4. Describe pertinent local, national and international issues relevant to Latinx culture.
  5. Assess creative, critical and solutionary frameworks for understanding the consequences of coloniality.
  6. Identify empowering exemplars of solidarity in leadership among the youth of the Latinx community.

Implementation

The Unanue Program was largely the concept of Dr. Mike Wilson (Spanish Chair) and Dr. Forrest Anderson (Associate Provost). They formed a committee to discuss the idea, which included Dr. Sonia Alvarez Wilson (Spanish Instructor, served as instructor for inaugural class) Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery (Sociology Chair and Honors Director), Dr. Sheila Brownlow (Psychology Chair) and Ms. Steffanie Jimenez West (Director of Admissions at time of conception). This committee constructed an outline for program structure. While setting structure, the committee determined that there needed to be program components beyond offering the option to take a course college credit. These additional components included opportunities for continued free classes while in high school, mentorship from current Latina Catawba students, the ability to increase social capital through cultural events, networking, and building college-going and financial literacy, and all course materials included at no cost. Early parental buy-in was prioritized in the form of a welcome dinner and graduation ceremony for the students and their families each year.

It was decided that Catawba students serving as mentors would also receive special opportunities and training in order to build their resumes, experiences, and social capital.

The instructor has traditionally embedded experiential education opportunities into the structure of the course offering. In 2023, these opportunities included an academic skills workshop, honors college discussion, Crosby Scholars workshop, financial workshop, experience in local and natural leadership in environmental justice, experience in local eco-business, experience in accessible outdoor recreation, experience in community governance, and a trip to a graffiti park and downtown revitalization project.

Individuals involved throughout the implementation of the program include:

Dr. Mike Wilson – Project Co-Creator and Leader (2019-2022)

Dr. Forrest Anderson – Project Co-Creator and Director (2019-2023)

Dr. Sonia Alvarez Wilson – Instructor (Fall 2019)

Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery – Social Capital Experience Coordinator (2019-2021)

Dr. Sheila Brownlow – Mentor Coordinator and Program Outcome Reviewer (2019-Present)

Dr. Mercedes Quesada-Embid – Instructor (2021-Present)

Ms. Steffanie Jimenez West – Program Recruiter (2019-2022), Logistics Coordinator (2019-Present), Director (2023)

Ms. Sierra Matteson – Program Recruiter (2022-Present)

Timeline

The initial concept for the Unanue Scholars Program was developed in summer of 2018. Soon after, the initial committee began meeting to formalize the program's structure and deliniation of responsibilities. Since its launch in the Fall of 2019, the program has followed a similar cycle of fall recruitment and spring course offerings and programming.

September 2018 – Creation of the Initial Committee

January 2019 – Initial Committee Meeting

January 2019 - Grant received from Salisbury Community Foundation

February 6, 2019 – Unanue Scholars Program announced

March 15, 2019 – Application deadline for inaugural scholar cohort

April 2019 – Initial training for first mentor cohort

August 21, 2019 - December 4, 2019 – First Academic Year of the Unanue Scholars Program

March 2020 – Decision to move from fall enrollment to spring enrollment due to unknown components of Fall 2020 class structure, complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic

August 2020 – Decision to change the Scholar course offering to a sustainability-focused course

Fall 2020 and each fall after – Scholar recruitment period

January 25, 2021 – Unanue Scholars Spring Program Launch, Latinx Leadership: Youth, Indigeneity and Sustainability

Fall 2021 - Spring 2022 Scholar recruitment period

January 2022 - Unanue Scholar Program Launch 2022

Fall 2022 - Spring 2023 Scholar recruitment period

January 2023 - Unanue Scholar Program Launch 2023

Financing

Costs for the program have remained consistent throughout the program’s history.

Instructor Cost: $2700

Mentor Stipend: $1200 (4 mentors for ~16 students)

Textbooks/Print/AV$1500

Trips/Meals/Ceremonies: $2600

All committee members work without additional costs incurred.

The Fall 2019 and Spring 2019 program were funded through the Salisbury Community Foundation. Since that time, the program has been college-funded through a special annual request for student experience funding.

Future goals include fundraising to make the program endowed with a minimum $10,000 operating budget and additional endowed funding to offer students who participated in the program a funded scholarship for having been involved in the program while in high school

Results

The Unanue Scholars Program at Catawba College offers a uniquely beneficial program to Latina juniors from the local Rowan County Public School System. The program has numerous advantages for selected scholars, as well as for facilitating faculty, staff, and Catawba College student mentors. The program provides structured and systemic support for an underserved local community at a crucial point in their educational development and understanding of personal identity.

The following are recorded quantitative outcomes of the program:

Students Served: The Unanue Scholars Program has selected and served 49 local junior Latina students from Rowan County Public Schools as of Spring 2023.

Positive Student Evaluations: The College has received resoundingly positive feedback from anonymous Scholar evaluations of the Unanue Program.

Scholars are asked to reflect and adjudicate the program in agreement or disagreement with a number of statements on a 5-point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The following is a summary of questions and responses for the last three years.

“My experience in the Unanue Scholars Program...

…increased my knowledge of college expectations”:       2021: 4.50, 2022: 4.86, 2023: 4.44

…increased likelihood I will go to college”: 2021: 4.83, 2022: 4.71, 2023: 4.78

...helped me gain skills that will help me in college”: 2021: 4.42, 2022: 5.00, 2023: 4.56

…helped me gain life skills that will help me in college”: 2021: 4.33, 2022: 4.43, 2023: 4.56

…benefitted from studying with a group of 11th grade Latinas”: 2021: 4.75, 2022: 5.00, 2023: 5.00

…benefitted from studying the topic of my class”: 2021: 4.58, 2022: 4.71, 2023: 4.67

“I was able to handle the work without too much trouble”: 2021: 3.92, 2022: 4.71, 2023: 4.11

“I enjoyed participating in the Program”: 2021: 4.83, 2022: 4.86, 2023: 5.00

“I would recommend the Program to Latinas I know”: 2021: 4.64, 2022: 4.86, 2023: 5.00

The following are recorded qualitative benefits of the program:

Cultural Exploration: The program provides an opportunity for Latina students to explore their own culture and heritage. The course, "Latinx Leadership: Youth, Indigeneity, and Sustainability," allows students to examine innovative ways in which Latina and Latino youth are engaging with the sustainability movement in the United States and Latin America.

Academic Preparation: Participants receive instruction in academic skills crucial for success at the college level. The program helps students develop foundational skills necessary for college and introduces them to the college experience, showing them that higher education is attainable and achievable.

Mentoring and Role Models: Unanue participants are paired with well-trained mentors from Catawba's Latina population. These mentors offer advice and support on the realities of campus life, helping students navigate their college journey and providing better upfront knowledge about the decision to pursue postsecondary education. The program is generating lasting returns. Past participants in the Unanue Scholars Program now populate the mentorship pool. Past Unanue Scholars have displayed a commitment to the value of the program through continuing to return and serve as role models for current Scholars, often citing gratitude for their ability to help other Latina women like themselves.

Sustainability as a Teaching Tool of Empowerment: Teaching Scholars about the relationship between socio-economic and environmental systems prepares them to deconstruct colonialist narratives and harmful habits that perpetuate social and environmental injustice. The ENV 1110 course uses sustainability as a subject matter to focus on contributions towards social and environmental justice from the Latinx community.

Building Social Capital: Through community-building activities such as group meals, field trips, and tertulias, the program advances social capital among Scholars. By fostering connections between networks, students enhance their sense of belonging and develop a support system within the college environment.

College Credit: The course taken as part of the program counts for college credit, allowing students to make progress towards a degree even before formally enrolling in college. This gives Scholars a head start and helps them better understand the expectations and demands of college-level coursework.

Access and Affordability: The program is available to Latina juniors attending public high schools within Rowan County, North Carolina. The Unanue Scholars Program is offered free of charge, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder students' participation.

Commitment to Underrepresented Students: Catawba College has a track record of serving historically underserved students, including low-income, minority, and first-generation students. With a commitment to personal attention and academic support, the college aims to prepare students for success in college and their professional lives beyond.

Innovation for the Public Good: Institutions sparsely provide institutional support and knowledge to students from underrepresented groups without a promise of enrollment. The Unanue Scholars Program is special in the sense that the College recognizes that providing mentorship, course offerings, and the opportunity to learn more about the college experience at no cost is a public good. The Rowan County community benefits from the ability of individuals to make well-informed decisions about their futures, especially members of underrepresented groups.

Through combining cultural exploration, academic preparation, mentorship, and support, the Unanue Scholars Program at Catawba College aims to empower Latina juniors, provide them with tools for success, and inspire them to pursue higher education with sustainability as a grounding academic interest.

Lessons Learned

There is significant demand in the Latina community for access to higher education. Even with narrow parameters for Unanue Program applicants, (a student must be female-identifying, an eleventh-grader, Latina, attending a public high school) the College received 25 applications and confirmed 17 participants for the initial cohort. At the College’s information sessions for the program, staff assisting in admissions for the program recall “dozens of students came to our information sessions or stopped by our booths in the cafeteria or were recommended by counselors and teachers. Though our inaugural class is 17, we learned that many more students are hungry for a program like the Unanue Scholars Program.”

Building strategic connections to members of local school staff, such as guidance counselors and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, has helped in the identification of potential program candidates.

Programming adjustments have been made to accommodate families of Scholars. At the conclusion of the inaugural offering, staffers noticed that having a Scholar attend Catawba for the program was a family affair. Parents and siblings showed curiosity about the program and what their student would experience. In response, the program was adjusted to host a welcoming family picnic after the first class, which helps to set expectations for what it means to be a college student.

Transparency and scheduling are key as well to avoid overburdening scholars or their families. Transportation of scholars to and from the College can conflict with workdays, transit schedules, and school activities or sports if not carefully considered. The program has managed to offer a once-per-week class of longer length to alleviate this issue to the greatest extent possible and communicated program expectations upfront.

The presence of mentors has been an invaluable asset to the program. Retaining past Scholars to serve as mentors builds credibility, provides positive representation, and allows for current scholars to talk through life advice, concerns, or challenges with a supportive figure that has been in their position. Mentors make scholars feel supported.

The Unanue Scholars Program has had a profound impact on instructors, student mentors, staff, program participants, and the College community. The program's low cost indicates it has replicability, given the right collection of stakeholders and identification of need in the local community. The program advances racial equity through supporting educational attainment for local Latina youth, and utilizes intersectional course content to advance Scholars' understandings of sustainability and self. The value of providing a supportive, systemic, and positive feedback loop of information, experience, hope, and positive representation throughout the Rowan County community cannot be understated.


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