Elaine Utin, co-founder and executive director of LatinxED will reach out to students interested in her organization on Tuesday, March 29.
The Zoom meeting is from 4 to 5 p.m.
“LatinxED is an educational initiative in North Carolina focusing on Latinx youth seeking higher education and opportunities,” said Melissa Birkhofer, English professor and Director of the Josefina Niggli Latinx Speaker Series.
The Latinx community has grown exponentially in Western North Carolina. In 2021, 7.5% of the overall student population identified as Latinx, making it the largest minority at WCU. In 2019, WCU began offering the U.S. Latinx Studies minor to reflect this growing population of students.
LatinXED was founded in 2018 by Elaine Utin and Ricky Hurtado. The mission of the organization is to “invest in Latinx leadership and expand education equity and opportunity in North Carolina.”
Utin grew up in a low-income 1.75-generation immigrant family in rural North Carolina. She earned her B.A. in Middle Grades Education at the University of Chapel Hill as a first-generation college student. Her background inspired her to advocate for other Latinx students.
The event is hosted by the Josefina Niggli Latinx Speaker Series. The series began on April 5, 2016 with award-winning author, Judith Ortiz Cofer as the inaugural speaker.
“The Speaker Series showcases the intersections of the global and local by focusing on the growing number of Latinx people in North Carolina and the U.S. South,” said Birkhofer. “It aims to bring students, faculty, and the WNC community together with speakers to discuss pertinent, interdisciplinary issues in Latinx communities including diversity and inclusion.”
Birkhofer added that the series is named after Josefina Niggli, Mexican American author, playwright, and former WCU professor.
“Her commitment to Latinx communities was unwavering and we strive to keep her legacy alive at WCU,” said Birkhofer.
Other hosts of the event include U.S. Latinx Studies, WCU Latinx Learning Community, College of Arts and Sciences, and DegreePlus.
Students can register for Utin’s Zoom presentation on Engage.
