Latinx & Hispanic Community

Latinx & Hispanic Community
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1890s

1892 First international student enrolled

Jose Fabio Santo Trigo of Cuba became the first international student to enroll at A&M College.

1940s

11/1/1943 La Casa Latino Americana Club formed

La Casa Latino Americana was formed by student Leonardo Valderrama of Peru and Dr. Sanford Winston of NC State's sociology department. The club aimed to "form friendly relations among the Americas" and was open to any interested Raleigh residents.

Technician, Vol. 24 No. 20, March 3, 1944Technician, Vol. 24 No. 20, March 3, 1944

1950s

1951 Eduardo Catalano joined faculty

Eduardo Catalano (1917-2010) of Argentina came to NC State as head of the Department of Architecture in the College of Design. He stayed on the faculty until 1956. Catalano later taught at MIT and retired in 1995. His design achievements included construction of his own house in Raleigh (named House of the Decade by "House and Home" magazine in 1955), the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, and the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. In 2007, NC State ... More

Eduardo F. Catalano portraitEduardo F. Catalano portrait

1960s

5/14/1961 Latin American club formed

The Latin American club formed and held the Latin International Night during the fall semester for several years. In 1964-1965, the club won the Erdahl-Cloyd Union "Best Club Award."

03/1965 First "Carnaval Latino" held

The Latin American Club held a traditional "Latin Carnival" in the tradition of costume parties in Spanish-speaking countries in spring.

Technician, Vol. 49 No. 66 [Vol. 45 No. 62], March 24, 1965Technician, Vol. 49 No. 66 [Vol. 45 No. 62], March 24, 1965

1970s

03/29/1972 Alan Gonzalez became head of Department of Modern Languages

Dr. Gonzalez, who spoke seven languages, became head of the Department of Modern Languages. Originally from Spain, Gonzalez had previously been associate head of Hispanic languages and literature at the University of Pittsburgh.

1980s

Fall 1983 Low Latinx enrollment recorded

Enrollment was 22,632 students in the fall of 1983, and 148 students (0.7%) identified as Hispanic.

1986-2010 George Tarantini, men's soccer head coach

George Tarantini of Argentina coached men's soccer and retired in November of 2010 as the winningest soccer coach in school history. He earned ACC "Coach of the Year" honors in 1992 and 1994 and was the NCAA "Regional Coach of the Year" in 1994. He directed the Wolfpack to nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

Soccer team group photoSoccer team group photo
1987 Tab Ramos named All-American

Soccer player Tab Ramos of Uruguay earned his third All-American honor in 1987. He was also named MVP of the 1987 soccer team. Ramos was later a three-time member of the US World Cup Team, and he was the US Soccer Federation "Athlete of the Year" in 1990. He played professionally for the NY/NJ Metro Stars from 1996 to 2002. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005 and the NC State Hall of Fame in 2012.

Olympian and NC State soccer player Tab RamosOlympian and NC State soccer player Tab Ramos
08/1987 First Latinx faculty member in landscape architecture

Fernando Magallanes became the first Latinx faculty member in landscape architecture.

1989 Diversity in student population increased

Enrollment of African American students passed 2,000, Latinx students passed 200, and international students passed 1,000.

1990s

1995 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) established

A chapter of the SHPE national organization was established at NC State.

4/22/1996 Article on the Latina experience published

Technician columnist Marcela Musgrove published a column describing her experience as a Latina at NC State University.

1997 Survey reported on Latinx faculty numbers

The Higher Education Research Institute survey found that 1% of NC State faculty identified as Latinx. The survey asked faculty about their experiences of discrimination on campus. Recommendations drawn from the survey included more targeted faculty and student recruitment of underrepresented groups.

1999 "Hispanic/Latino Outreach Learning Alliance" (HOLA) established

NC State Humanities Extension established HOLA as a program to "teach Spanish and Hispanic culture" to extension field faculty who work in areas of North Carolina with large Latinx populations.

2000s

2000-2001 Latinx student enrollment reached 500

Latinx student enrollment reached 508 students with a total enrollment of 28,619 students for the 2000-2001 academic year.

2002-2006 Men's soccer player competed at World Cup

Pablo Mastroeni of Argentina was selected to compete for the U.S. National Team at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006. He played for the NC State men's soccer team from 1994 to 1997.

2002 Mi Familia formed

Mi Familia ("My Family") was formed to promote the Latinx community and discuss important events and issues.

Technician, October 4, 2002Technician, October 4, 2002
11/5/2002 Andrea Hernandez named first Latinx "Leader of the Pack"

Andrea Hernandez, a mathematics student from Colombia, was named the first Latinx "Leader of the Pack." She was president and co-founder of Mi Familia. She was also active with the University Scholars Program, Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa, the Golden Chain Honor Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Chancellor's Liaison, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. She graduated in 2005 Summa Cum Laude with a BS in mathematics and mathematics education.

3/7/2003 Latinx student population recorded

The Technician reported a total of 450 Latinx students enrolled at NC State as part of an editorial about diversity on campus.

2003 Jose Picart named Vice Provost for Diversity

Puerto Rican Jose Picart was appointed Vice Provost for Diversity and African-American Affairs as well as professor in the Department of Counselor Education. Jose Picart later served as interim dean for the College of Education from 2009 to 2010.

José Picart, Vice Provost for Diversity and African American Affairs, talking with other manJosé Picart, Vice Provost for Diversity and African American Affairs, talking with other man
2004 La raza de mil colores formed

La Raza de Mil Colores was created as a Latin dance team for NC State. It was formed to educate students and community members about the various culture and unique dance styles of Latin America.

2/9/2005 Mi Familia and SHPE presented variety show

Mi Familia and SHPE presented a Latin American cultural variety show called "Somos Estrellas" in Stewart Theatre.

Guitar duet on stage for "Somos... Estrellas" eventGuitar duet on stage for "Somos... Estrellas" event
2007 Juntos program established

NC State launched the Juntos Program in 2007 with a plan to provide high school Latinx students and their families with the knowledge, skills, and resources to ensure high school graduation and increase college access and attendance rates.

2010s

Summer 2010 Saul Flores completed "Walk of the Immigrants"

In the summer of 2010, student Saul Flores walked 5,000 miles across ten countries from Ecuador to Charlotte, NC, to bring awareness of Latin American issues. During this trip, he took over 20,000 photographs, and he donated sales from the images for the rebuilding of a school in his mother’s hometown of Atencingo, Mexico. The photographs were exhibited by the Libraries as the "Walk of the Immigrants." Flores graduated from NC State in 2012 with degrees in graphic design and business marketing.

Technician, May 27, 2010Technician, May 27, 2010
2010 First "Hispanic/Latino Symposium" held

The "Hispanic/Latino Symposium" was created as a summer transitional experience for incoming first-year students to maximize their academic success.

2010-2011 Latinx student enrollment reached 1,000

Latinx student enrollment reached 1,065 students with a total enrollment of 34,376 students for the 2010-2011 academic year.

2012 Technician began "Bienvenidos" section

The Technician began the Bienvenidos section of the newspaper as a response to the growing Latinx population in North Carolina. This addition created a bilingual section where articles would be printed in Spanish, with the English translations available online.

Technician, October 09, 2012Technician, October 09, 2012
2012 SACNAS chapter formed

A chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) was formed as the first and only chapter in North Carolina. The organization's aims to increase the number of students of diverse backgrounds pursuing graduate degrees in STEM fields.

2012 Voluntarios ahora en Raleigh (VOLAR) formed

The VOLAR program was formed as a collaboration between students and faculty of of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and outreach organizations in the local community. The program aimed to help students practice their Spanish language skills while engaging "in service in the Hispanic community."

2013 Mi Familia Salsabor celebration held

The Latinx organization, Mi Familia, held its annual cultural event called Salsabor to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The celebration included traditional food, performances, and presentations from students and guest speakers.

2015 Latinx student enrollment increased

The 2015 NC State Hispanic/Latino Fact Sheet reported an increased in Latinx student enrollment with 1123 undergraduates and 364 graduate students.

2015 Juntos program received White House recognition

The Juntos program was recognized by the White House Intitiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics as a "Bright Spot in Hispanic Education Fulfilling America's Future."

2016 Hispanic Heritage Month event held

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the GLBT Center (now Pride Center) held an event for scholars and activists to discuss gender inclusivity within gendered languages, specifically Spanish.

2017-2018 Jackie Gonzalez (President), Mia Connell (Vice President)

Jackie Gonzalez was the first Latinx person elected student body president. Gonzalez and Vice President Mia Connell formed the first woman-of-color team elected into the highest student government offices.

Jackie GonzalezJackie Gonzalez
2017 Mi Familia scholarship created

The Mi Familia scholarship was created to help mitigate the cost of higher education for Latinx high school students.

2017 Latinx fashion line launched

After graduating from the NC State College of Textiles where she studied fashion and textile design, Lisbeth Arias launched her own Latinx-inspired clothing line, fusing traditional Latin American textiles with modern fashion.

2018 Latinx Alumni Network formed

The network was founded to connect Latinx alumni with a mission to increase recruitment, retention, and engagement of future students.

8/2/2018 Sandra Cisneros reading organized on campus

Author and poet Sandra Cisneros gave a reading and talk at an event organized by Multicultural Student Affairs, NC State University Libraries, and the Farm Labor Organizing Committee. Cisneros, a MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the National Medal of the Arts, read a variety of narratives in English and Spanish.

2019 CAMINOS Pre-College program established

"CAMINOS: Your Journey to College" is a program for Hispanic/Latinx students that highlights the college preparation process and university academic experience from the lens of community building and cultural exploration. The program was initiated by Marcela Torres-Cervantes, Assistant Director for Community Outreach and Engagement in Multicultural Student Affairs and Melissa Betancur, Admissions Recruiter.