The Mi Casa, Mi Universidad project at Cal State Long Beach recruits new students, and improves grade point averages and graduation rates among Hispanic students with the help of funding given to Hispanic-serving institutions.
CSULB has been a Hispanic-serving institution since 2006.
In order for a university to qualify as a Hispanic-serving institution, the school must be nonprofit and have a population that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students, of which, 50 percent must be low-income.
In 2010, there were a total of 8,452 Latino and Hispanic undergraduate students attending CSULB, and, from 2006 to 2010, CSULB saw a gradual increase of Latino and Hispanic undergraduate students from 25.9 percent to 30.8 percent.
Sophomore journalism major Cynthina Mauleon joined Mi Casa, Mi Universidad this semester.
Through the project, she was surprised to find that there were many scholarships and financial aid opportunities for Hispanic and Latino students.
“This group understands that being a college student can come with other responsibilities [other than school], and that is why they want to assist us by providing us with resources that will help us succeed here at the college level,” Mauleon said.
The Mi Casa, Mi Universidad project is hosted by the National Council of La Raza/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation & Leadership Training.
According to a 2007 “In Touch With Student Services” newsletter, the project is being led by NCLR Director Britt Rios-Ellis and Project Director Gloria Inzunza-Franco.
Although Mi Casa, Mi Universidad extends a helping hand to Latino and Hispanic students, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) offers access to higher education for students who are the first in their families to go to college and those who come from low-income families.
Criminal justice major Emmy Naeole is a junior in the EOP.
“I am on track to graduate in four years,” Naeole said. “I’m not taking classes that I don’t need to take.”
Naeole, like other EOP students, has an adviser who she meets with each semester to plan out her next schedule. She also has access to free tutoring lessons.
Although the EOP provides many benefits to its students, those who want to take part in the program can only apply once during their freshman year.
“Once you miss the deadline to apply, you can’t apply again,” Naeole said.