UHV staff members, student attend higher education conference
A delegation of staff members and a student from the University of Houston-Victoria attended the Texas Association of Chicanos for Higher Education conference, focusing on empowering Hispanic students to pursue higher education this past February.
Karla DeCuir, UHV interim vice president for enrollment management, delivered a keynote speech during the first day of the conference on Feb. 21. UHV staff members Amanda Martinez, Ana Laura Pineda and Daniela Martinez were chosen as Career and Leadership Development Institute fellows and attended a special session as part of the conference that day. In addition, Maria Lopez, a UHV graduate student from Houston, joined the conference that day as part of its first-ever student cohort. The conference was held from Feb. 21-23 at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.
“As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, it’s important for UHV and other higher education institutions to work with organizations like TACHE,” DeCuir said. “These organizations offer resources and perspectives that can help universities better meet the needs of underserved populations, including Hispanic students.”
According to its website, the association’s goal is to provide a forum to discuss issues involving Chicanos in higher education and to work with institutions to provide solutions to those issues through educational advocacy, networking, recruitment, retention and cultural promotion.
During the first day of the three-day conference, DeCuir delivered a keynote speech titled, “Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: Empowering Latinos in Higher Education.” Her presentation focused on the representation of Latinos in higher education positions, especially in administrative roles. In particular, she noted the population of Hispanic and Latino students was growing, but staff roles were not reflecting the student diversity. To help address this problem, DeCuir shared best practices and four tips to help individuals grow as leaders and prepare for and achieve roles in administration.
“The majority of Hispanic staff members serve in clerical or service industry roles, such as secretaries and cafeteria or janitorial workers,” DeCuir said. “There aren’t many in administrative positions. We need to find better ways to increase representation and lead by example to encourage students who are pursuing a higher education. I wanted to encourage people to continue to develop their skills and reach for bigger and better things for themselves and others in their communities.”
During the conference, the three Career and Leadership Development Institute fellows and Lopez participated in special sessions such as a career and leadership panel. All three staff members were nominated by DeCuir for the fellowship. During the panel, both professionals and students were able to meet and listen to Hispanic leaders in higher education who shared their experiences and passion for creating a better future.
“We were divided into groups and encouraged to think about who we are and how we can change our perspectives,” said Daniela Martinez, senior admissions counselor. “We all started to understand that we’ve come so far, and there’s so much more we can do. It was a great experience because we were able to see how people just like us moved up and became leaders in higher education. We brought home ideas that we can bring to the day-to-day operations at UHV.”
As part of the conference’s first student cohort, Lopez said she found inspiration in meeting many Hispanic leaders who had similar stories to her own.
“In the past, I’ve felt like I was behind in life because I didn’t go for my master’s degree right away after getting my bachelor’s,” she said. “It was incredible to see that I don’t need to be discouraged by my age. So many others had done the same thing and went on to become successful leaders in higher education. It helped me reflect on my own journey and how much more I can do. The sky really is the limit in higher education.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.