Castillo-Montoya Serves AERA, Review of Higher Education
Milagros Castillo-Montoya, Ed.D. has been elected to serve as AERA member-at-large for Division J. It is a three-year term. Milagros has also been invited to serve as a member of the AERA- Division J Equity and Inclusion committee. Additionally, Milagros has been invited to serve as an editorial board member for Review of Higher Education.
Spanish Community of Wallingford Adelante Program
The Higher Education and Student Affairs program has an ongoing partnership with the Spanish Community of Wallingford, and has participated in several events with them. The Adelante Program is a youth leadership program for youths in middle school and high school, intended to empower them to be able to take on challenges and to prepare them for their futures.
On October 21, 2016, Blanca Rincon and Erica Fernandez welcomed forty Adelante students to the University of Connecticut, where they participated in college classes and heard from current students about the college experience.
Also in 2016, Blanca Rincon gave a presentation on college preparation, Preparing for College for the program.
UNDOCU Peer Training
On March 3, 2017, the HESA program hosted an UNDOCU Peer Training open to EDLR graduate students. The training helped students learn more about Connecticut Students for a Dream and the work they are doing. For the EDLR students, it was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the role they can take as educators and practitioners, to make an educational climate that is more welcoming for undocumented students.
Bystander Training
On March 23, 2017, the HESA program hosted a Bystander Training for its students. Protect Our Pack, a Bystander Intervention Program in the Dean of Students Office, is a program focused on educating students on how to be active bystanders in situations related to sexual assault, harassment, intimate partner violence, hazing, bias, and alcohol and other drugs. Jenn Longa led the training, and helped provide strategies to HESA students on how they can be active bystanders by engaging in action and/or dialogue in harmful situations. The training took a specific focus on being an active bystander in the context of our post-2016 election climate. Prior to the event, HESA faculty and staff hosted a brown bag lunch to connect with students.
