E-news June 2016

Dream Catchers- Newsletter

June 2016 - Volume 5, No. 1

Based on Puente Model

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Serving the People of Texas: Meadows
Foundation Provides Grant to Catch the

Next- Dream Catchers Program

Catch the Next is proud to announce, that the Meadows Foundation has provided a $100,000 grant to the
organization, to roll out the Dream Catchers Program at the lowest level of Developmental Education (Pre-
Gateway courses) with the goal of expediting the time spent in “gatekeeper” courses that grant no credit to
students. Courses that provide credit are called “gateway courses.” Students are placed in these courses based
on their Texas Success Instrument Assessment score. CTN is creating a movement of acceleration at the lowest
level of instruction. Pre gateway courses will be offered at South Texas College, El Paso Community College,
Lee College, and Palo Alto College. In addition, the Meadows Foundation will cover the professional
development cost of one of our newest colleges from the Dallas District, Eastfield Community College.

The Meadows Foundation is a private philanthropic institution established in 1948 by Algur H. and Virginia
Meadows to benefit the people of Texas. The Foundation's mission is to assist the people and institutions of
Texas in improving the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations. The Meadows
Foundation strives to exemplify the principles of its founder in addressing basic human needs by working
toward the elimination of ignorance, hopelessness and suffering; protecting the environment; providing cultural
enrichment; encouraging excellence; and promoting understanding and cooperation among people.
.

Catch the Next Welcomes Cohort 2016 at Summer Institute

See related story on page 6 and 11

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CTN Dream Catchers Motivational Conference
Brings Student Leaders to UT Austin.

Pictured above are student leaders representing their colleges’ CTN Dream Catchers – Puente Clubs
with Professor Alex Espinoza, a former California Puente student pictured seating in the center.

Second Annual Dream Catchers Transfer Motivational Conference
June 17th and 18 at University of Texas at Austin a Success

Only fifteen percent of Latinos and Native Americans having a Bachelor’s degree and twenty two percent of
African Americans. The rate for Whites with a bachelor’s degree is 43 percent. For these figures to improve,
transferring to a four year University is crucial to the Latino, Native American and African American
communities. The same urgency applies to advance degrees. Only four percent of Latinos and five percent of
Native Americans have an advance degree. When looking at African Americans, only 8 percent have a Master’s
degree or higher, thus our goal is to get University students to seek an advance degree, that is why our -
Transfer Motivational Conference was designed to introduce students to University life experience and to

motivate them to transfer to a four year University or to an advance degree, that is
why our theme this year was “Aspiring to Succeed”.
The conference was sponsored by the University of Texas Division of Diversity and
Community Engagement. Our thanks go out to Associate Vice President and partners
Ms. Erica Saenz, and Milagros Lopez for helping us make this event a success.
We also want to thank the chaperones: Angelica Cerda, Esmeralda Macias, Juan
Ramirez, (STC); Orlando Lara (Lee College); Lydia French (HCC); Stacy Ybarra,
Diane Lerma, Lisa Trevino (PAC) Richard Yanez, Kathleen Bombach, EPCC.

“Biography does not define your destiny”

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Victor Saenz keynote speaker Dream Catchers Conference June 17th

Victor B. Sáenz, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the
University of Texas at Austin was the keynote speaker on Friday June 17th, at the student motivational
conference held at UT Austin. Dr. Saenz, a Catch the Next, Inc. Board Member and Scholar Mentor, spoke to
students, especially first generation students not to let their biography define them and challenge them to have
courage not to take the popular choice, or easy path in school. “It takes effort, commitment and a strong sense
of self to succeed.” Making the right choices often times means leaving behind those negative influences.
Surround yourself with likeminded individuals. “Success breeds success he said.
In fall 2010 Dr. Saenz began an award-winning initiative called Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino
Educational Success), In June 2013 the project launched a new statewide initiative called the Texas Education
Consortium for Male Students of Color, focused on improving Hispanic and African American male student
success across the state of Texas.

Former Puente Student and Associate Professor Speaks at
Dream Catchers Motivational Conference

Alex Espinoza was the key note speaker on Saturday
June 18th at Dream Catchers Transfer Motivational
Conference held at UT Austin. Unlike other speakers
we have during the motivational conferences,
Professor Espinoza was actually a Puente student. At
the conference, Espinoza showed students his picture
while a Puente student waiting for a bus to take them
all on a field trip to a University. The youngest of nine
children, he attributes his success and love of writing
to the time he spent in the California Puente Project.
Alex Espinoza is an Associate Professor of English at
Fresno State University. He received his B.A. From
the University of California at Riverside and his MFA:
from the University of California, Irvine.

Second Annual Dream Catchers Transfer
Motivational Conference Photos!

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Male and Female Workshops Promote Personal and Career Development

Teresa Granillo

Representing The Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (HWNT), Teresa Granillo
provided a workshop to participating students. The Women’s Network of Texas is a non-
profit state-wide organization established in 1986. HWNT’s Purpose is to seek to promote
the advancement of women in public, corporate and civic life through education, personal
and professional development.

Jorge Luis Rodriguez Jr. is a Mentoring Site Coordinator’s at John H. Reagan High School
for the Project MALES Student Mentoring Program. He completed his undergraduate studies
at The University of Texas at Austin earning a B.A. in Economics and is a first year PHEL
student in the Master’s program at UT- Austin. His research interest includes minority males
in Higher education, low-income students, and equity in education. Contact Jorge by email:
[email protected]

Jorge Segovia, Jr. is the Curriculum and Engagement Coordinator for the Project MALES
Student Mentoring Program and the Graduate Adviser for the Project MALES Student
Organization. He has been a part of Project MALES for the past three years, serving in
various roles throughout his including Mentoring Specialist and Lead Mentoring Site
Coordinator.

Dr. Ramirez is a professor of English at South Texas College, Starr Campus. He has been
part of our Dream Catchers Puente team since the start of the program.

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Cohort 2016 Represents 5 New Institutions

Catch the Next is proud to welcome its new cohort of faculty and administrators joining our Initiative. The new
cohorts represent two new campuses. The new campuses are: The Rio Grande Campus of El Paso Community
College District; The Hays Campus of the Austin Community College District; Lone Star University Park
College of the Lone Star District in Houston, Texas; Eastfield College of the Dallas Community College
District and our first University, the University of North Texas at Dallas. In addition, cohort 2016 includes new
team members from Lee College in Baytown, Texas; South Texas College, and Palo Alto College. In addition
for the first time, a cohort of Mathways instructors from El Paso Community College joined our efforts as CTN
and the Dana Center’s New Mathways Project collaborate to help all of Texas Student’s Succeed.

Catch the Next Welcomes New Colleges

Eastfield College- Dallas County Community College District. is a
comprehensive community college founded by the Dallas County
Community College District in 1970. The college anticipates and
responds to the educational needs of students and employers by
providing four types of programs: academic credit-transfer, college-
readiness, technical-occupational, and non-credit continuing education.

The student
population is
15,112, which
mirrors the faces of the community: African-American
(22%), Asian (5%), and Caucasian (32%) Hispanic
(38%) and other (4%).

Eastfield College is located in the city of Mesquite. ,
depot stop for the Texas and Pacific railroad. Mesquite
has continued to grow ever since. It is now the 18th
largest city in the State of Texas.

Mesquite has a population of 143,195; African American
(25.6%), Asian (2.8%), Caucasian (36.4%), Hispanic
(34.3%), and other (0.33%).

Pictured cohort 2016 Eastfield team-left to right: Ke’Shun Walker, Laura Elaine Payne, Kassi Buck, Amanda Preston and
Philip Bueno

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Lone Star College University Park

Lone Star College-University Park is a member of the Lone Star
College System in the Houston area. The vision of LSC-University
Park is two-fold: to serve as a two-year accredited college and a
conduit for innovative partnerships between education, business
and industry, and the community. LSC-University Park offers
quality education, customized
workforce training, state-of-the-art
conference facilities, and commercial
leasing opportunities. The master plan
for the campus has been designed to
fully align with the needs of the
community by offering innovative and
transformative opportunities from education to careers. LSC-University Park has
a student population of 7,500: African American (16%), Asian (7%), Caucasian
(35%), and Hispanic (32%), other (10%). Lone Star College-University Park is
located in Harris County, Houston. The city of Houston is home to many well-
known names and organizations such as, NASA, Houston Hall of Fame, and
many more memorable sites to visit. Houston’s population is currently 2,160,821;
African American (22.6%), Asian (6.3%), Caucasian (25.8%), Hispanic (43.7%),
other (0.33%). Pictured Top right to left: Shannon Hausinger, Paula Khalaf. Bottom left to right:

Ramon Saavedra, Elizabeth Pena. Missing: Melissa Dawn Gatlin.

The University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD)

The University of North Texas at Dallas is located in the fourth
most populous metropolitan area in the United States. The city
of Dallas ranks ninth in the United States and third in the State
of Texas. UNT-Dallas has a student population of 2,488;
African-American (35%), Asian (3%), Caucasian (17%),
Hispanic (41%), and other (4%). The University of North Texas
at Dallas (UNT Dallas) is rapidly becoming a university of first
choice as a result of the personal involvement of faculty, student
support resources, affordability, location, and the relevancy of
programs and degrees to career offerings in the region.

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The University of North Texas at Dallas. The experiential learning opportunities provided by UNT-Dallas are
perfectly suited for first generation and continuing education students seeking the degrees and experience
needed to pursue high demand career opportunities in the Northeast Texas region and beyond

Catch the Next Welcomes New Campuses

In 1975, the Rio Grande Campus of El Paso Community College, then just a
single building on Rio Grande Street, became the first permanent facility for El
Paso Community College. Using funds and equipment donated by Project Hope,
the campus focused on education of a five-story wing in 1980 enabled the college
to expand its course offerings to include the arts, sciences, and other occupational
education programs. Basic academic skills and credit courses in English as a

Second Language (ESL) are offered as well. The new Health and Science
Laboratory building opened
in fall 2003, and the multi-
level parking garage opened
the following year. The Rio
Grande campus has a student
enrollment of 5,653; African
American (2.2%), Asian
(0.9%), Caucasian (8.1%),
Hispanic (84.7%), and other (4.9%) The Rio Grande campus is
situated in the City of El Paso, located next to the Rio Grande across Ciudad Juarez, MEX. With a history that
spans close to 400 years, there are many sites to explore. The city offers a close connection with the country of
Mexico which can be seen from certain spots within the city. El Paso holds a population of 672,538; African
American (3.2%), Asian (1.1%), Caucasian (14.4%), Hispanic (80.0%), and other (1.33%).Pictured right
to left: Nena Fabela, Yasmin Ramirez

Austin Community College

The ACC-Hays Campus is the first college campus to be built in Hays
County. It is part of the Austin Community College District serving Hays
County and neighboring communities. ACC Hays offers a broad selection
of college classes for university transfer and career training:

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The ACC-Hays campus-- In addition, ACC Hays students
receives a full range of support and services at the campus to
guide their college career from admissions to completion. The
ACC-Hays campus has an enrollment of 1,690 students;
African American (6.21%), Asian (1.60%), Caucasian
(41.24%), Hispanic (39. %), and other (11.19%).The ACC-
Hays campus is located in the city of Kyle. The city of Kyle
has a population of 32,144; African American (9.4%), Asian
(1%), Caucasian (41.6%), Hispanic (47%), and other (1.07%).

Lee College
Lee College Is a comprehensive community college that is located
in the city of Baytown, Texas. The Lee college campus occupies 40
acres close to the downtown area of Baytown. The mission: Lee
College serves as a focal point for the development of educated,
gainfully employed, and socially aware residents of our local
community. Lee College’s vision is
served by providing knowledge and
skills to successfully navigate in the
modern world. Lee College has a
student population of 5,911: African
American (15%), Asian (1%),
Caucasian (42%), and Hispanic
(38%), other (4%).
Lee College is located in Baytown, Texas. The city is located within Harris
County in Chambers County in the Gulf-coast region of Texas. Baytown has a
great bridge, with easy access to the water, wetlands, Galveston, Kemah,
NASA, and a large variety of places to explore; including historical sites. The
population of Baytown is 76,127: African American (16.3%), Asian (0.8%),
Caucasian (36.0%), and Hispanic (45.1%), other (1.8%).

South Texas College
Founded in 1993, South Texas College is accredited by the Commission
on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to
award baccalaureate and associate degrees. More than 34,000 students
attend STC, and a faculty and staff of more than 1,600 serve STC’s five
state-of-the-art campuses, two teaching centers and one virtual campus.

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South Texas College is an innovative, public, post-secondary
institution providing quality education and career pathways for
the people and communities of Hidalgo and Starr counties.
The College achieves student success, nurtures talent
development, and promotes economic vitality through
collaborative and creative approaches to teaching, learning, and
support services. South Texas College has a student population
of 34,000: African American (2.9%), Asian (0.9 %), Caucasian
(2.9%), and Hispanic (93%), other (2.9%).
South Texas College is located in the city of McAllen, Texas.
McAllen is now the 21st most populous city in Texas, and the
largest in the Hidalgo County. The city is located near within
the Rio Grande Valley, which constitutes the southern United
States. McAllen has many sites to explore; one in specific is the World Birding Center: “hands-on, state of the
art educational exhibits The City of McAllen has a population of 138,596: African American (0.5%), Asian
(2.6%), Caucasian (11.2%), and Hispanic (84.9%), other (0.8%)

Palo Alto College

Palo Alto College, one of the Alamo Colleges, has
been a pillar of the Southside community and remains
dedicated to providing a high-quality education for
the community. Originally created in 1985 from the
desire to provide higher education to residents of
south San Antonio, Palo Alto College has spent 30
years serving over 100,000 individuals throughout
San Antonio, Bexar County, and surrounding
counties.

Recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the
U.S. Department of Education, Palo Alto College has
been recognized as No. 32 in the Top 100 Associate
Degrees Awarded to Hispanics. The number of
degrees and certificates awarded jumped 80 percent – from 271 in 2008-09 to 489 in 2009-
2010. The Center for Academic Transitions – which oversees scholarships, graduation, and transfer options –
was recognized for its successful strategies in 2011 by the College Board. The average transfer rate for Hispanic
students in Texas is 8.9%; at Palo Alto College, it is 38% for Hispanics. Palo Alto College has a student
population of 6,084: African American (6.2), Caucasian (29.5%), and Hispanics (57.9%), other (6.4%). Palo
Alto College is located in the city of San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio is well known for the River walk, the
San Antonio Spurs, and the Alamo. The city has many a lush and rich culture which helps establish it as one of
Travel+Leisure’s top romantic destinations. The Population of San Antonio is 1,436,697: African American
(6.8%), Asian (2.6%), Caucasian (26.1%), and Hispanic (63%), other (1.5%).

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Teaching and Learning For Student Success Professional Development Calls.

Catch the Next’s Teaching and Learning for Student Success- Professional Development Conference Call will
be held Thursday July.21, 2016. Time of Call: 4 pm (EST) 3 pm (CST) 2pm (MST) 1pm (PST). To access the
call please dial: (302) 202-1110 Code: 519698. Our guest speaker will be Allegra Villarreal Disraeli,
Director of Professional Development for Catch the Next. Ms. Villarreal Disraeli will be discussing our tool kits
for the different disciplines, and highlight some examples from each area.

Virginia Allegra Villarreal Disraeli currently teaches and resides in Austin,
Texas. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, and she was reared in California,
Oregon, and Texas. As the daughter of a progressive teacher, she was exposed to
many different learning environments, including private and public schooling,
homeschooling, “unschooling,” Rudolf Steiner, and Montessori. At the age of 16,
she received her GED and enrolled at Portland Community College. A year and a
half later, she was accepted at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where
she earned a B.A. in International Relations and Middle East Studies. After
graduating, she enrolled at Oxford University, shifted her academic focus, and
was awarded a Master’s in Creative Writing in 2008. She taught ESL in Mexico
and the Czech Republic before returning to the U.S. In the Pacific Northwest, she
began teaching English at three local community colleges and, eventually, applied
for a full-time position at a South Texas College campus located in the small, border town where her maternal
family has lived for generations. She now lives in Austin.

David Montejano Kicks off CTN- Dream Catchers-Puente Summer Institute

Key note speaker for the institute was Dr. David Montejano, CTN Scholar Mentor and Professor of Ethnic
Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Montejano spoke of his
award winning book, Quixote’s Soldiers. The book is based in the mid-1960s,
San Antonio, Texas. Montejano divided the narrative into three parts. In the
first part, he recounts how college student activists and politicized social
workers mobilized barrio youth and mounted an aggressive challenge to both
Anglo and Mexican American political elites. In the second part, Montejano
looks at the dynamic evolution of the Chicano movement and the emergence
of clear gender and class distinctions as women and ex-gang youth struggled

to gain recognition as serious political actors. In the final part, Montejano analyzes the failures and successes of
movement politics. Montejano refers to the activist as dreamers like Don Quixote reaching for what seemed to
be an impossible dream, yet achievable as is the case with many of our students with their academic and career
goals. Teachers are Quixote’s soldiers he said, facilitating access to career dreams for their students.

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Summer Institute Training Photos

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Alex Espinoza Speaks to Faculty at
Institute and is Keynote Speaker Saturday
June 18 at our Dream Catchers
Motivational Conference

CTN 5th Annual Graduation Reception a Success!

The fifth annual summer institute reception was held at The University of Texas at Austin Student Union
Ballroom to celebrate the graduation of CTN Cohort 2016. The event started with music by Conjunto Aztlan,
led by Juan Tejeda, outgoing Mexican American Studies Professor at Palo Alto College and Puente faculty

member. He was accompanied by Jose Flores, Professor of English at Austin Community
College. The group was welcomed by CTN Partner, Ms. Erica Saenz, and Vice President
for Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas at
Austin.

Key note speaker for the event is the distinguished Dr. Emilio Zamora; Professor of
History at the University of Texas at Austin who spoke about his latest research on
Dr. Saenz, a native Texan in the 1920’s who kept a journal while involved in WW1.
Dr. Emilio Zamora is a Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin.
UT Austin is affiliated with the Center for Mexican American Studies and the
Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies; He writes and teaches on the
history of Mexican in the US.

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Yasmin Ramirez Reads at Reception

Yasmin Ramirez has B.A. in psychology and an MFA in Creative Writing.
She has taught a wide range of courses from introduction to creative writing,
composition, developmental writing, and literature courses. Currently, she is
an Assistant English Professor at El Paso Community Valle Verde campus.
Yasmin is involved in various committees and organizations such as Puente,
Common Essay, Writing Center, and Literary Fiesta. In addition to her
dedication to literacy in the classroom, she stays active in the literary
community and writes And Then, a weekly blog. Her written work is featured
in: HUIZACHE, Hispanic Culture Review, and Cream City Review, among
others. Yasmin also serves on the board for literary nonprofit BorderSenses.
She is completing her first book of creative nonfiction titled, Por Un Amor
scheduled for release from George Mason University’s Stillhouse Press and writing her first Young Adult
series, Love Letters, for Epic Press. Both are slated for release spring 2017. Visit Yasmin's website to read more
about her and links to her work. www.yasminramirez.com

2016 Southwest Book Award Winner Reads at Institute Reception

Valentin Sandoval will be doing a reading from his award winning book, South
Sun Rises. Valentin is one of CTN team members focusing on video production and
communications. Valentin’s book is a poetic narrative of a pursuit of the American
dream on the border of El Paso/Juarez. The book adopts poetics as a form of
familial understanding, a surreal kind of folklore in order for the writer to
understand the life cycle in which he finds himself.
. www.valentinsandoval.com

Conjunto Aztlan

Mr. Juan Tejeda (left) button accordionist and
Vocalist for el Conjunto. Jose Flores, (right) plays el
Bajo sexto and is a songwriter and vocalist for
The group.

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Professional Development Opportunities

The opportunities below are for faculty, students and staff in the CTN-Dream catchers program. If you are faculty or staff
and have ideas, workshops or presentations to share, please forward: [email protected].
Thank You,
Stacy Ybarra Evans
Catch The Next

Staff Opportunities

Date Activity Activity Description
6/21/2016 Loan Assistance
6/21/2016 Faculty Loan Repayment Program
6/21/2016 http://www.hrsa.gov/loanscholarships/repayment/faculty/
6/21/2016
6/21/2016 Call for http://www.russellsage.org/research/funding/improving-education-and-
6/21/2016 Submissions reducing-inequality
6/21/2016
6/21/2016 Conference Call 14th Annual Males of Color Empowerment and Retention Conference

6/21/2016 for Proposals http://www.jveducational.org/Proposal.html

6/21/2016 Upcoming https://thes.education.utexas.edu/registration/
6/21/2016 Symposium
6/21/2016 Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Awareness Grant
Grant http://www.myacpa.org/sclgbta-grant-application#sthash.lkCCm48j.dpuf
6/21/2016 Opportunity

Article Trends in Pell Grant http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/2015601.pdf
Call for STEM Grant
Proposals
Call for Poetry
Submissions http://www.lambdaliterary.org/writers/subs/05/25/call-for-submissions-
backwords-press-2/

Call for Personal Narratives
Submissions https://ssawwnew.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/cfp-feminist-studies-doctoral-
degrees-in-womens-gender-sexuality-studies-taking-stock-8-15-16/

Free NISOD https://shop.nisod.org/webinar-series/
Webinar Sign
UP http://utep.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=127450
UTEP Volunteer
Call Call for Volunteers
http://www.aera.net/EventsMeetings/AnnualMeeting/2017AnnualMeetingCa
AERA Call Out llforSessionChairsandDiscussants/tabid/16387/Default.aspx?platform=hootsu
ite

Hootsuite Social Media Opps for Classroom

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https://hootsuite.com/higher-
education?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=ambassador_social&utm_cam
paign=hootamb

6/21/2016 NASPA Upcoming Conference in San Antonio
Call for Proposals
6/21/2016 http://conference2017.naspa.org/
6/21/2016
6/21/2016 Yale Fellowship http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/programs-events/fellowship-
6/21/2016 program/visiting-graduate-student-summer-fellowships
6/21/2016
Fellowship Digital Inclusion Fellowship
http://www.nten.org/community/dif/get-involved/

Fellowship https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/how-apply-humphrey-fellowship-
program

Mentoring http://mentor.unm.edu/conference
Conference

Scholarship Student Opportunities
Student Scholarships
Google Travel
https://www.google.com/edu/scholarships/google-travel-and-conference-
grants/#!north-america
HACU Fall Internship
http://www.hacu.net/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=1667

Catch the Next Program Partners

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Catch the Next Texas College Success Program Colleges

________________________________________________
About Our Newsletter

A publication by Catch the Next Inc., for its Dream Catchers –Puente Project.
Submissions are welcomed. Please send all information to: Dr. Maria Chavez, Editor

[email protected]
Contributors: Stacy Ybarra, Palo Alto College. Anna Alaniz, South Texas College,

Juan Jaimes, Texas State University
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

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