The Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University celebrated its 25th anniversary with an event in Fuller Theater Monday, highlighting its transformative impact on educational outcomes for Latine students in the Worcester area over the past quarter century.
The institute, praised by elected officials and community leaders as a national model, has provided critical support services and programming that have enabled thousands of Latine youth to access higher education and succeed academically.
The moderator for the event was award-winning journalist Julio Ricardo Varela. Guest speakers included President Barry Maloney, Congressman Jim McGovern, Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty, Sen. Robyn Kennedy, Rep. John Mahoney, Worcester City Manager Eric Batista, and Worcester Public School Superintendent Dr. Rachel Monárrez. A delightful musical presentation was given by the Chandler Magnet/La Familia School Choir singing a bilingual version of “We Are the World.”
For the past 25 years, the Latino Education Institute (LEI) has served as a critical bridge to higher education for first-generation and Latine students in the Worcester community, President Maloney said. He highlighted the institute’s pivotal role in boosting college access and success for underrepresented students and in supporting the university and the community.
“LEI was instrumental, especially during COVID, in helping this community and this institution,” Maloney said. “LEI has also helped Worcester State very directly. We are pleased to say this past year that we have been designated as an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution, and we are very proud of that.”
The LEI initiative began in 1999 with Worcester citizens, lawmakers, educators, students, and families under the Worcester Working Coalition of Latino Students. Named the Latino Education Institute in 2000, the grassroots effort aimed to address the educational challenges faced by Latino students in Worcester. Since then, LEI has grown into a multi-faceted organization offering a range of education and health-related services with programs that have served over 17,000 students, Maria Juncos-Gautier, LEI’s executive director, said.
“Throughout the years, we have been able to fulfill our mission by offering free, enriching, and culturally sensitive educational opportunities and by advocating for our students,” she said.
Looking to the future, LEI plans to increase the quality, reach, and impact of its programs and partnerships, she said. “We must continue to meet their educational needs and ensure they have access to higher education, economic opportunities, and good health, health services.”
Juncos-Gautier acknowledged the support and contributions of various partners, including Worcester State University, the Worcester Public Schools, state, local and national elected officials, funding organizations, and LEI’s dedicated staff and advisory board.
“With continued support, we are excited to make the next 25 years even more impactful for students, families, and the community,” she said.
Worcester Mayor Joe Petty read a proclamation declaring September 30, 2024, as Latino Education Institute Day in the city of Worcester to recognize the LEI’s 25 years of service to the community.
“It is critical for us to keep supporting culturally sensitive services,” Petty said. “I look forward to another quarter century and cannot wait to be here for many more celebrations of LEI milestones. I’m grateful for the work they do here in the city of Worcester.”
State Sen. Robyn Kennedy congratulated LEI on its success and thanked the organization’s founders and community members who have contributed to its mission of ensuring academic success for underserved and marginalized communities.
“LEI is about intentionally investing in underinvested in communities – not communities that come with a deficit, but communities that have been under invested in and marginalized for generations,” she said. “LEI is about turning the tables on that.”
Kennedy, joined onstage by state Rep. John J. Mahoney and state Sen. Michael O. Moore, read a congratulatory citation from the State Legislature that said in part, “The Massachusetts legislature hereby extends congratulations to LEI, the Latino Education Institute, in recognition of the celebration of your 25th anniversary, and with appreciation for your mission to improve the academic achievement and wellbeing of Latino families from elementary school to college.”
In his remarks, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern said that he has been involved with LEI for 25 years and is proud of the institute’s work in uplifting the local Latine community and bringing people together. He said that LEI has been a national model for improving educational outcomes for Latine students in the Worcester area, serving over 2,500 families and 500 Latine youth annually.
“We are all here because we believe our young people are 100% of our future and we believe that ladders of opportunity ought to exist not just for the select few, but for every single young person in our community – and that is what LEI is all about, extending ladders of opportunity so that people can succeed in our community,” he said.
McGovern noted that around 80% of high school seniors that LEI works with enroll in college, demonstrating the institute’s success in providing those ladders of opportunity for underserved students.
“As the brother of two Worcester public school teachers, I have seen firsthand how access to education enables every child to succeed regardless of their background,” he said. “I got involved with LEI 25 years ago because I know the transformative power a quality education can have on a person’s life.”
Worcester School Superintendent Rachel Monárrez said the event celebrates the 25th anniversary of the partnership between Worcester Public Schools and the Latino Education Institute, which has worked to create opportunities, foster growth, and amplify the voices of the Latino community.
She said that the partnership “has profoundly impacted the community” and that the public schools and LEI have “joined forces to create these opportunities, foster growth and amplify the voices of the Latino community.”
However, Monárrez said, since 50% of Worcester Public School students are Latine and over 30% are emerging bilingual students, there is still a lot more work that needs to be done to ensure the Latine community and students are thriving.
She expressed gratitude for the Worcester School Committee’s commitment to addressing this opportunity gap between students whose first language is Spanish and native English speakers and called for continued nurturing of the partnership with LEI and expansion of programs to ensure that Worcester remains a place where all children and families can achieve their full potential.
The event closed with a ceremonial renewing of the Memorandum of Understanding that founded LEI with Monárrez, President Maloney, and Juncos-Gautier seated at the signing table and more than a dozen of the founding members and community leaders standing behind them. The MOU has been updated to move LEI into the future.
Sarai Rivera ’90, a former Worcester City Councilor and a local pastor and community advocate, announced a fundraising appeal for the organization’s 25th anniversary year. She highlighted the organization’s past accomplishments and progress but emphasized that more work is needed. The organization is seeking to raise $500,000, of which over $100,000 has already been raised.
Photo: (seated at table, from left) Rachel Monárrez, President Maloney, and Maria Juncos-Gautier sign an updated version of LEI’s founding Memorandium of Understanding while founding members and community leaders look on.
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