La Bienvenida

Amount Awarded: $33,048.00 

Academic Year: 2023-2024 

Implementation: Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 

La Bienvenida is a mentorship program for Latine/Hispanic Western students that will work to create a network of support with social and academic connections. Recruitment and retention rates for Latine students are much lower than those of their peers. A study by WWU alumna, Silvia Leijas Rosa, showed that “first-generation students of color are less likely to be mentored than their white peers in the same programs and fields” (Johnson, 2015; Thomas et al., 2017). This program aims to change those statistics by offering concrete support for students, beginning with offering campus tours and orientations in Spanish, to providing ongoing mentorship throughout the academic year. The goal is that participating students will bond with each other, identify resources both on and off campus, and find support through relationships with faculty and staff. 

The team, made up of students, staff, and faculty, believe that students are more likely to continue in their studies when they have access to the resources that they need and a wide network of support behind them. La Bienvenida offers Spanish-speaking students broad support, as well as advances the university’s efforts to recruit and retain an ever-more diverse and culturally rich student body.