Purpose

At Cal Poly, the HSI Student Advisory Board is dedicated to advancing Dr. Gina Garcia’s servingness framework, a transformative approach that places student experiences at the forefront of our community development. Our mission is to amplify student voices, providing a robust platform and the necessary support to influence Cal Poly's pathway to becoming an HSI. By elevating student perspectives, we gain essential insights into the needs and aspirations of our Latinx/e students and other underrepresented communities. This enriched understanding empowers us to tailor our initiatives, ensuring that Cal Poly becomes an HSI with purpose on purpose.

Mission

1. Identify and address needs in campus services and resources for Latinx/e students.

2. Advocate for policies and initiatives that better serve the Latinx/e student community.

3. Ensure that student perspectives are at the forefront of decision-making processes related to HSI initiatives and grant funding pursuits.

Membership

Membership will be filled by representatives from centers/departments/student organizations that serve large populations of Latinx/e identifying students. Membership appointments are based on the organization/department and are open to members of all identities. The centers/departments/student organizations represented can be found in the “Represented Organizations” section below. This year’s HSI Student Advisory Board is comprised of ~16 students representing a total of 13 different campus departments.

Beya Makekau she/her/ella Co-Chair Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning and Networks and Senior Diversity Officer, OUDI	Diana Ortiz Giron she/her/ella Co-Chair Director of Programming and Education, OUDI	Cristian Ulisses Reyes he/him/él Co-Chair HSI Initiatives Graduate Assistant, OUDI Higher Education Counseling and Student Affairs	Alexis Espinoza he/him/él BEACoN Student Intern, OUDI Latinx Business Student Association Industrial Technology and Packaging

Daniela Michelle Rodriguez-Ruiz she/her/ella Latinos In Agriculture DREAM Center Ag Communications	Stephanie Lopez she/her/ella Latinx Cultural Association Economics	Carolina Sanchez Herrera she/her/ella Student Diversity And Belonging Mechanical Engineering	Areliz Rosas Espinoza she/her/ella Educational Opportunity Program Psychology

Marisol Mata Alonzo she/her/ella Latinos in Agriculture Plant Science	Erandy Fernandez-Ortiz she/her/ella Associated Students, Inc. Experience Industry Management Comparative Ethnic Studies	Angel Guerrero he/him/él DREAM Center Agriculture Systems Management	Ketzali Maciel-Jimenez she/her/ella HSI and DEI Student Intern, OUDI Business Administration

Citlali Luna Silva she/her/ella Cal Poly Scholars Psychology	Kaitlyn Corral she/her/hers Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Industrial Engineering	Xavier Aguilar he/him/his PUENTE Liberal Studies	Javier Angulo he/him/his Cal Poly Scholars Mechanical Engineering

Yanneli Santos she/her/ella La CASA Civil Engineering

Represented Organizations

Latinx Cultural Association (LCA)

Latinx Cultural Association is a social club that works to foster an inclusive community for Latinx students on campus. They do so through bi-weekly general meetings during the quarter where they celebrate a different Latin American country each week (including an educational presentation on the country). Within their club they provide opportunities for members to get involved through their different committees: Familias, Cultural Education, Performance, Fundraiser, and Sports. In being a social club, they also plan events such as (but not limited to) bonfires, carne asadas, movie nights, banquets, etc.

Latinos In Agriculture (LIA)

Latinos in Agriculture is a professional, social, and cultural club dedicated to providing a home away from home for underrepresented students in CAFES. They foster students’ success in higher education by bringing professional, academic, and social opportunities to their members while also providing a fun experience. They welcome all majors and identities; you don’t have to be from a Latinx background. They offer a cultural support system that is safe and welcoming, hosting events like 26 Hours of Science and Technology in Agriculture and DATE: Discovering Agriculture the Transfer Experience, and connecting students with resources necessary for their success.

Latinx Business Student Association (LBSA)

LBSA hopes to encourage and promote the development of tomorrow’s future leaders from all backgrounds and career fields. They strive to equip every member with the fundamental skills, relationships, and expertise necessary to successfully launch their professional careers. LBSA is geared towards fortifying the academic and professional goals of underrepresented students by unifying and empowering our growing community. Their pillars are family, professionalism, academics, and community service.

Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers (SHPE)

SHPE is a professional and social Hispanic engineering club. The club provides resources to be better prepared for interviews and career fairs. Companies are brought to meetings to learn more about them and for any potential internship opportunities. SHPE is one big Familia and through social events such as intramural sports, bonfires, collaborations with other clubs, and many more, they can get to know one another. SHPE is for anyone, even if you are not an engineering major or Hispanic.

Puente

Puente translates from Spanish to bridge because they like to say that they create the bridge to success. The Puente Program is a state-funded program generally found in Northern California high schools and community colleges as a college preparatory program. At Cal Poly, they are a club that advances the lineage of Puente beyond their high school graduation or associate's degree. This year is the first year that Puente has expanded onto college campuses to have former Puente students from high schools or community colleges come onto campus and feel an immediate community that they can identify with. Along with being a social club for Puentistas, they also host several campus tours for Puentistas who are thinking about applying to Cal Poly. Puente is important because it mainly serves low-income, first-generation students to restore equity and help them cross the bridge. Puente is a family, and it is open to anyone who wants to succeed, but especially those who want to see others succeed!

TRiO Achievers

The TRiO Achievers program, also known as Student Support Services (SSS), is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and has been a part of Cal Poly services to students since 1984. They provide assistance to at least 258 active students every year. The services they provide to students include academic advising, tutoring, career information, help with financial aid concerns, workshops, help understanding academic policies and procedures, and many more!

Cal Poly Scholars

The Cal Poly Scholars program seeks to support and retain high-achieving students from California schools, who come from low-income backgrounds, by providing financial, academic, and community resources. As a university-wide program, the Cal Poly Scholars program brings together a network of services, including the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Mustang Success Center, all six academic colleges, Career Services, University Housing, Student Academic Services, and other campus collaborators. Currently, Scholars span across all six academic colleges at Cal Poly and are actively pursuing degrees from 50+ majors.  

Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

The primary goals of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) are to improve the access, retention and graduation of students who have been historically, economically and/or educationally disadvantaged. The core of our program services are built upon a student-centered model which encourages college success, community building, and empowerment.

Latinx Center for Academic Success and Achievement (La CASA)

The Latinx/e Center for Academic Success and Achievement (La CASA) is designed to provide holistic student support and foster a sense of belonging for students who identify as Latinx/e, Hispanic, or part of the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora at Cal Poly. Located in Building 15 Room 135, the facility includes an accessible computer lab and lounge space where students can study, enjoy culturally relevant workshops, and attend events hosted in partnership with other campus cultural centers. The center’s programming focuses on uplifting the various cultures, histories, and traditions within the Latinx/e diaspora.  

DREAM Center

Empowering undocumented and DACA students, the DREAM Center is committed to creating access for these students to navigate higher education. The Dream Center additionally serves students from mixed status families and allies with support, education and community. They advocate for the academic, professional, and personal development and success for all students that connect with the Dream Center. The center facilitates the CSU’s immigration legal services program in partnership with the organization, Immigration Legal Defense. The Dream Center, through programming and dialogues such as Dream Circles, provides their students with opportunities to understand their own identities and intersectionality with their status. The Dream Center staff also provides presentations, workshops and trainings for the larger campus community (ie: allies) to unlearn and deconstruct the racialized ideology of “who” is viewed as undocumented or “who” belongs to this community, and we aim to uplift all diasporas and identities of this group. Through the efforts of ensuring our students are well-resourced, advocated for, and have provisions to meet their basic needs, we also center radical joy through celebrations, social events and other programs that are designed to remind us that we are allowed to laugh amid adversity. 

Associated Students, Inc. 

Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) is an inclusive, empowering, student-driven organization committed to providing programs, services, and facilities that enhance and develop the student learning experience. Cal Poly students are stakeholders in ASI and have access to leadership positions through Student Government and on-campus employment. All of these opportunities are designed to complement Cal Poly’s educational mission, support a balanced education, and give students ownership and pride in their college experience.

Student Diversity and Belonging

Student Diversity and Belonging is a collective of campus resource centers that support and empower students experiencing marginalization, through intersectional advocacy and cultural connections to build a more just and equitable Cal Poly community.