After a successful pilot last summer, Austin Community College's free bilingual outreach program, Café con Leche, will continue through the summer and into the fall and spring semesters.
The program offers information about the college and is sponsored by the Student Recruitment Office. The series is based off of the principle idea known as "World Café," a model used by groups and organizations throughout the world that involve bringing people together to discuss certain topics.
"Café con Leche is an informal friendly environment, where parents are encouraged to ask questions about the goals for themselves and the goals for their children and in doing that they discover how ACC can help achieve those goals," said Dr. Richard Armenta, director of the event.
Armenta explains the event to be something of an enlightenment process for parents and students who don't really know a lot about community college, especially for some parents who have never attended college themselves.
Not understanding the ins and outs of college was something Sandra Cristine Lopez could easily relate to. Lopez dropped out of high school when she was young and now a mother of four, Lopez is determined to get a degree in business administration so she can support her family.
"I want a good job. I got my GED at Austin Community College in 2002, and now I'm going back for my major," said Lopez.
Getting an associate degree is one of the many options offered through a community college for people like Lopez. Café con Leche helped deliver that type of information to Lopez and others who might need to learn about the many resources available at a community college.
"It is the local taxpayer that pays for this college, so they have every right to access it. We have a responsibility to let the people know about it," said Armenta.
Café con Leche sessions provides translators as well as bilingual counselors, and it is people like Alex Cordova, 18, who facilitators of the information sessions hope to help.
Cordova and his family migrated from Mexico to the United States when Cordova was in the sixth grade. It was here in Austin where Cordova got his first taste of computers at a local middle school. Since then he has dreamed of becoming a computer science engineer as well as a web designer.
Cordova's family speaks little English, so his father was able to follow a translator throughout the session so he could communicate with the facilitator.
"Students who start with us can go anywhere," Armenta said. He believes having both translators and bilingual counselors available is a great tool that can make bilingual families feel more comfortable and receive the information "on their own turf."
Editor's note: For more information on Café con Leche information sessions visit http://www.austincc.edu/support/sro/cafeconleche.php
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