Community college graduates from nonprofit to provide scholarships & celebrate Hispanic culture

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Before the governments of the U.S. and Mexico made the Gadsden Purchase official in 1854, much of what is now Graham and Greenlee counties were marked by the cultures and customs of Sonora and greater Mexico.

Families with this heritage have made their livelihoods there for generations. Some even found a launch pad for their education without having to travel too far from home.

One group of Eastern Arizona College (EAC) graduates wants this generation of students to find the same success and opportunity they did.

"What we're doing is we're encouraging our Hispanic brothers and sisters, the youngsters, to educate themselves," Guadalupe Muñoz said. "To get a piece of the pie to come to [Eastern Arizona College] and it's right here."

Here looks different from when Muñoz walked the paths of EAC. Out on a campus stroll, 'Lupe' Muñoz shared how this chapter in his life story set him up for success at companies like Boeing. Even with the journey he's taken, he said he can't forget his roots in the Gila Valley. Muñoz' father worked as a smelter in the copper mine that has been his community's landmark.

"I, myself, am a example of coming out of the heels of Morenci to educate myself here...coming out of work, where I came (and) being the first to educate myself in this level," he said.

This kind of family story is one EAC President Todd Haynie said he sees as vital to growing the institution's experience not just for Latino students, but for all their other peers on campus.

"As far as our missions and our visions," he said, "This is a perfect alignment of what I want to see personally and professionally here at the college."

Haynie said as he started his tenure as president, The Eastern Arizona Hispanic Heritage Corporation (EAHHC) also slowly started its work to bring community partners and donors on board.

Even during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael Andazola Sr., a Safford city councilman and chair of the nonprofit group, said local businesses committed to donating funds for their scholarship fund which would support the broader Eastern Arizona College Foundation.

"We do not want to be just an organization sitting on our butts and saying, oh, we're just here," Andazola said. "We want to be proactive, active in the community to make sure we're getting things done."

National data complied by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University shows a breakdown of all students who completed their degree at a four-year college in 2015–16.

In this group, 49 percent had enrolled at a public two-year college in the 10 years prior.

More recently, in the 2018-19 academic year, data from the American Association of Community Colleges showed of those who enrolled in these institutions, 25% of the student body was Hispanic. Haynie and the EAHCC board said that happens to be the same percentage that makes up the entire student body at Eastern Arizona College.

Talking about the students' cultural exposure led to a discussion with Haynie about their chances of academic success at a next level.

A 2019 report from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation found 49 percent of all college students begin their secondary education at a community college. The foundation's data shows 84% — or four out of five community colleges — had placed at least one of its students in a 'selective' 4-year university.

While only 7% of all students at U.S.-selective institutions come in as community college transfers, this group is more likely to graduate than other students; specifically, a 75% success rate, compared to 61% from folks who transferred from another four year university and 73% from those who came straight from high school.

"Then when they get to the university," Haynie said, "they're ready and they're better prepared than they would have been had they shown up at the university with another 100,000 of the closest friends."

What's important for Andazola and the EAHHC board, he said, is letting all registered students know they can apply for these scholarships regardless of cultural background.

The nonprofit wants to raise even more scholarship money for EAC's foundation, and it has the opportunity to do so this while also celebrate a culture they believe makes the Gila Valley special.

The group's latest Hispanic Heritage Dinner & Show, on Sept. 17, will feature musical and dance appearances from youth dancers and singers who showcase Mariachi music and traditional folk dances.

"Having the rich music, having the dance: all that's very important," Andazola said. "We really need to focus on that and bring it back in... the language. All that that's very important, but we don't see very many kids participate in that. We want to make sure that we promote it, and that we let them know that it's still rich and it's something worth learning about."

Seeing these parts of his cultural heritage on display strike a chord for Bob Rivera, EAHHC member and former mayor of Thatcher.

"My dad used to play in band, 'The Bisbeños.' All I heard was that kind of music from all types of groups, 'trio' music," River said. "I love that to this day. I play it all the time."

"When Bob talks about real awakening that that culture and that idea," Haynie said, "that culture runs deep, and it is so rich here in this area."

While the corporation will work to get donations to cover more tuition at EAC, the board says it has big goals on its list.

That includes building a space that will serve as a Hispanic History museum and would potentially function as a school for aspiring mariachi musicians and folk dancers.

That kind of center open the doors to greater awareness and education. Research published by Sam Houston State University in 2019 points to cultural centers, like the one EAHHC envisions, actually fostering a more multicultural academic environment.

UPDATE (10/20/2023):
EAHHC recently donated $12,000 to the college, enough funding for four students' full tuition and two book scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year.

The organization's leaders thanked community members who came out to support their mission not just during the event weekend, but in recent days and weeks.

The nonprofit said as of right now, four EAC students are furthering their academic careers using scholarship money raised in last year's Hispanic Heritage weekend fundraiser.

Any student who wished to apply to these scholarships can do so through their Gila Hank account, according to the college. Both the administration and EAHHC said applicants who apply for next year's scholarships by December 31 receive priority reviews.