Within one of the largest universities in the country, the Department of Transborder Chicano/a and Latino/a Studies at ASU stands out as a tight-knit but growing community.
In the last four years, enrollment has increased five times over, bringing the department to 85 majors, 15 minors and 13 faculty members.
Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez, the department’s chair, said he has a vested interest in every student.
“We see our students as the next generation of shakers and movers,” Vélez-Ibáñez said. “That’s what we’re training them for.”
Sitting in his office surrounded by student artwork, he can name nearly every student within the major, their cultural background and even their GPA.
The major is designed to educate students about Mexican-origin and other Latino populations and to prepare students to be active members of society after college.
“You have to have a sense of social responsibility,” Vélez-Ibáñez said.
Cindy Quintero, 19, was originally a biology major and took an introductory Chicano studies class simply because it sounded interesting, she said.
“It impacted me — the history,” Quintero said.
The major also appealed to Quintero because of the small class size and personal attention, she said.
“It’s small, so you actually know the people in your class,” Quintero said.
The department’s only academic success specialist, Norma Valenzuela, said the major is designed to provide students with a historical, political and social perspective about Hispanic Americans and the goal is to “promote social justice and equality.”
“We’ve had a lot of students come over to our major,” she said. “Within the last year and a half, we’ve doubled in size.”
At least half of all the department’s majors are working toward a concurrent degree. Most double major in political science, sociology, history, Spanish or business.
For Quintero, medical school lies after graduation, and she said she hopes to eventually open a health clinic that caters to underprivileged minorities.
Valenzuela said concentrations within the major prepare students to enter medical school or law school.
For example, U.S. and Mexican regional immigration policy prepares students for law school and sets them apart from more traditional students.
Senior Melissa Anderson decided to add a Chicano studies degree to her Spanish major after taking several classes within the department.
“I could have graduated, but I stayed to finish the major,” Anderson said.
Veronica Martinez, 21, also fell in love with the department after taking a class.
Living a culture and learning about it are two very different things, she said.
“It makes me think a lot more. I have a different perspective on things,” Martinez said.
Also a double major, Martinez is studying sociology and plans to go to graduate school.
“I want to work with policy and community development and eventually start a nonprofit organization,” Martinez said.
Vélez-Ibáñez is working with deans from schools within ASU to make the students who double major more successful, and he hopes to have the department become its own school soon.
Vélez-Ibáñez said the department is different because it wants its students to be an important, valuable part of the local community, he added.
Every student within the major is assigned a faculty mentor and given the opportunity to participate in community development and apply what they learn in classes to the local area.
The department chair said while the faculty has a strong bond with its students, education is taken seriously and the mission remains clear.
“We don’t give anything, we provide them the opportunity to grow,” Vélez-Ibáñez said.
Reach the reporter at ccox3@asu.edu.
