Para leer versión en español, haga click aqui.
Latinx professionals who are part of a community of colleagues working in the field of education attended a networking event at San Diego City College on Sept. 15.
In a festive atmosphere with traditional food and mariachis playing music in the background, the Chicanx/Latinx Educator Network event was held in the City College cafeteria as part of Latinx Heritage Month.
They joined not only educational colleagues from the San Diego Community College District, but from the entire San Diego County community.
Among these participants were educators and administrators representing institutions such as San Diego State University, University of California San Diego and Cal State San Marcos.
The emphasis was on connecting the Latinx/Chicanx community of City College with other high ranking professionals in administrative positions in the education field.
“It is important to say with facts ‘Yes we can,'” said Adan Sanchez, Dean of the Department of Student Affairs at City College.
As part of this event, five professional panelists were also invited to participate in a public discussion about their personal experiences as Latinx with cultural roots in the educational field.
The diversity that exists within the Latinx/Chicanx community could be seen among the panel of professionals, which included California Deputy Chancellor Daisy Gonzales and SDCCD Vice Chancellor of Educational Services Susan Topham.
Two of the panelists identified as Afro Latina, another with Brazilian roots, and two more as Latino/Chicano.
“A lot of us are first generation immigrants, so we don’t have those connections that other students, other people have in other communities,” Sanchez said, “so we’re creating those connections for students and professionals who want to do more.”
Along with educating students about the importance of ignoring the stigmas and negativity that sometimes accompany attending community colleges, there was an emphasis on leaving a legacy for newer generations of students with Latinx/Chicanx roots.
Luz Jaimes and Marco Guajardo contributed to translating this version.
Editor’s note: City Times has updated its style guide to standardize the use of the word Chicanx when referring to individuals together who identify as Mexican-Americans living in the U.S. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends using the word Chicano; however, editors felt the term did not effectively include all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
