The Michigan Hispanic Collaborative (MiHC) was founded in 2016 by Michigan Colleges Alliance board member, JoAnn Chávez, to break the cycle of Hispanic poverty by helping Michigan Hispanic students and young professionals navigate the complexity of college access and early career by providing support, resources, and opportunities.
MiHC works to empower Hispanic students to attend and complete college. In a collaboration with member campuses and the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative, Michigan College Alliance (MCA) aims to increase awareness, access, enrollment and outcomes for Latino high school students in and around Detroit by introducing juniors and seniors to the benefits of smaller, private college learning communities.
MCA has held several Caminos Independientes virtual college fairs designed for Latino students and parents. The fairs include presentations (in both Spanish and English) about college “fit” decisions and affordability, panels from current college students and young professionals with similar first-generation and Latino backgrounds, and scholarship awards. MCA also facilitates trainings for MiHC Success Coaches with enrollment and financial aid experts. Future plans to expand this partnership include MCA-sponsored bus tours, outreach to incoming high school freshmen, a facilitated cohort strategy, leadership development programming, and internship and co-op support.
JoAnn Chávez, founder of MiHC and MCA board member, said, “Working to break the cycle of Hispanic poverty through education and early career programs remains our top priority and Michigan Colleges Alliance helps us achieve this goal. There is incredible economic, social and political value in a college degree and opportunities start primarily with college graduation. MCA schools and their collective synergy provide a unique and powerful fit for many of our students and families. MCA is an invaluable asset in helping to fulfill Michigan Hispanic Collaborative’s mission.”
Dr. Robert Bartlett, MCA president, said, “We are excited about our strong partnership with the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative—both programmatically and financially—and our work together greatly impacts communities and industries all over Michigan and will do so for generations to come.”
Recently, Michigan Colleges Alliance and the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative partnered to create a new scholarship fund to ease the financial burden of Detroit students pursuing an undergraduate degree. Available to Hispanic students enrolled at any of MCA’s 14-member universities and colleges, the new $75,000 fund initially will support freshman and sophomore students from César Chávez Academy and Western International high schools and is expected to grow over time. Donors include MiHC, the DTE Energy Foundation, and the Council of Independent Colleges.
