“One of the struggles that comes from being a Mexican-American is that you don’t truly feel like you belong to either side. We aren’t Mexican enough for Mexicans and not American enough for Americans.” – Arturo Torres, illustrator
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Ni de aquí, ni de allá.
The words in Spanish appeared on a screen in the Willamette Room at Oregon State University’s CH2M Hill Alumni Center, where dozens of teenagers from 13 states gathered in March for the Juntos National Convening.
“Has anybody heard this term before? I’m seeing lots of nods,” said Nayeli Contreras, who coordinates the Oregon State University Extension Service’s Open Campus and Juntos Program in Eastern Oregon.
Translated, the phrase means “Not from here, not from there.”
“You don’t feel like you’re a part of any group. You’re kind of in the middle,” Contreras said. “That’s why we’re here today. You’re not alone. You’re not alone in feeling that you’re not a part of one or the other. Every single one of you in this room has felt ‘ni de aquí, ni de allá’ at some point in your life.”
The message of togetherness echoed throughout the two-day conference, which brought 70 professionals and 65 students to Oregon State for the inaugural in-person meeting of universities that offer Juntos, a college and career readiness program launched at North Carolina State University in 2007.
“We’re celebrating our quinceañera,” said Diana Urieta, senior director and co-developer of Juntos at NC State.
Two goals guided the convening, Urieta said: help youths develop a national vision statement for the future of Juntos and build a sustaining network among students; and launch the Juntos National Consortium to support Extension leaders and professionals.
Oregon State as host was a statement
Open Campus started Juntos in Oregon in 2012. Juntos (“together” in Spanish) is a multi-component program that connects Latino/Latina/Latinx families and educational institutions to create pathways to higher education. The program’s motto is “Juntos para una Mejor Educación” (Together for a Better Education).
Oregon State was chosen to host because it was the second university to offer Juntos. There are now 17 land grant universities trained to implement the program.
“Oregon State was the land grant university that made Juntos national,” Urieta said. “That’s one of the many reasons we wanted to make a statement by having it here. Oregon State has supported Juntos since 2012.”
Oregon State’s Juntos program is now the largest in the country based on the number of communities served, Urieta said. NC State is No. 2.
“It was certainly an honor, and I was excited for the opportunity to host,” said Gina Galaviz-Yap, Juntos statewide coordinator for the Oregon State University Extension Service. “We are doing a lot of great things in leading diversity, equity and inclusion work, not just in Open Campus and Juntos but Extension overall.”
The first Juntos cohort had 12 families in rural Central Oregon. To date, the program has served more than 6,500 participants in over 35 communities statewide. In 2018, seeing Juntos’ impact, Oregon State leadership matched Extension funds with general funds to expand reach and support a statewide push for equity in education.
By investing in student support and program growth, Juntos in Oregon has maintained an over 90% high school completion and college access rate.
Believing in the students
Contreras and fellow Juntos coordinators led discussions and activities with students. One session explored historical and current barriers to post-secondary education for Latino communities, including racism and lack of information and resources.
Contreras said many Latinx high school students have parents who didn’t attend college, so they doubt they can go.
“Sometimes I feel like I see more in them than they will ever see in themselves,” said Contreras, who grew up in Umatilla County and holds two degrees from Oregon State, including a master’s. “They genuinely think they are incapable of going to college. That breaks my heart because I’ve been there.”
Like Contreras, Andrea Flores-Reyna, Juntos coordinator for Wasco County, urged students to believe in themselves.
“I see myself in them,” Flores-Reyna said. “Every time I talk, it’s about what my ancestors went through. My grandparents and my parents.”
By the second morning, students were seeing their experiences reflected nationally.
“I’m learning a lot about my identity as a Latine student,” said Melanie Toscano Escott, a senior at Woodburn Academy of Art, Science and Technology in Marion County.
Dayami Nava, a junior at Umatilla High School and a mentee of Contreras, looked ahead: “I’m learning about the opportunities that will come my way.”
