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2025 Cal Poly Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Symposium: Pathway to Becoming an HSI
HSI Symposium Program
Join the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion for an immersive day exploring what becoming an HSI means for Cal Poly. In Fall 2024, Cal Poly reached the 25% enrollment requirement to become an HSI, and this event will engage the campus community in our ongoing efforts to holistically serve every student, provide updates on our progress, and present strategies for continued growth.
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Monday, |
Chumash Auditorium |
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8:30 am |
Doors Open |
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9:00–9:45 am |
Welcome—Pathway to Becoming an HSI Update President Jeffrey Armstrong Dr. Beya Makekau, Associate Vice President of DEI Strategic Planning & Networks/Senior Diversity Officer |
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9:45–10:45 am |
HSI Student Advisory Panel Discussion Cristian Reyes, HECSA Graduate Student, Moderator |
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11:00 am–12:00 pm |
Keynote Presentation Introduced by Diana Ortiz Giron, Director of Programming and Education |
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12:00–1:00 pm |
Lunch |
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1:30–3:00 pm |
Conference-Style Workshops
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4:00–5:00 pm |
Las Cafeteras Concert and Community Resource Fair in UU Plaza |
Keynote Presentation
The Sounds of Resistance: From Storytelling to Movement Building
Stories have always been at the heart of resistance. They preserve memory, carry truth across generations, and spark the imagination needed to build a different future. This keynote explores how storytelling can move beyond the personal to fuel collective action and transformational change. Through words of empowerment, cultural rhythms, and reclaimed narratives, we will reflect on how stories carve space for justice, belonging, and possibility.
Keynote Speaker
Hector Flores—Vocals, Jarana Tercera, Zapateado
Hector is an LA based artist using song, film and storytelling to elevate, shift and shine light on the narrative of BIPOC communities over the last 10 years as a Musician and Cultural Worker. He is also an Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Las Cafeteras.
The eldest of 6 children, Hector was raised in East Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley with parents born of Indigenous and Mexican roots. He graduated from Cal State Long Beach and before transitioning to a career as an artist, he was an Organizer for over 10 years in South and East LA.
Las Cafeteras
“UNIQUELY ANGELENO MISHMASH OF PUNK, HIP-HOP, BEAT MUSIC, CUMBIA & ROCK.”—LA TIMES
Born and raised east of the Los Angeles River, Las Cafeteras are modern-day troubadours remixing roots music with a vibrant fusion of Afro-Mexican rhythms, electronic beats, and powerful rhymes. Blending son jarocho, rock, hip hop, Americana, and soul, Las Cafeteras honor tradition with instruments like the jarana, requinto, quijada, and tarima, while singing in five languages: English, Spanish, Spanglish, Love, and Justice. With joy, rhythm, and imagination, they carry forward the stories of their community—building “a world where many worlds fit. Their electrifying live performances have taken them from the Hollywood Bowl to Bonnaroo, WOMAD New Zealand to the Montreal Jazz Festival, and to stages alongside icons such as Café Tacuba, Natalia LaFourcade, Lila Downs, the Gypsy Kings, Juanes, Common, Ozomatli, Los Lobos, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
¡Adelante!, which translates to "Forward!" in Spanish, is about honoring the past, present, and future momentum of this effort and the collective drive to become an HSI that holistically serves the Latinx/e community.
