Oficina Latina Reaching out to Teachers and Students

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The office of Latino academic advancement and community relations (Oficina Latina) is busy this summer with collaborations to provide programs for local schools in Northwest Arkansas. 

The first program, “La Academia,” is an ACT Academy and College Readiness workshop for Latino students in grades 10-12. La Academia is a week-long program at the Rogers High School Campus and meets daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 3-7. Instruction is provided by College Access Initiative personnel and is funded by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, which makes the program free to attending students. This program is designed for English language learners and Spanish heritage speakers to develop strategies to use their biliteracy skills to improve their performance in the ACT exam. 

Oficina Latina will also be presenting a one-day seminar for local educators called “La Question Latina” from 8:40 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 10, in the Arkansas Union Theatre. This year’s theme is “Best Practices for Mentoring and Advising Latino Students K-20” and is co-hosted by the Latino College Working Group and the College of Education and Health Professions. This professional development seminar is also sponsored by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the College of Education and Health Professions.

The third program will be “Sin Limites” June 11-14 at J.O. Kelly Middle School in Springdale. Oficina Latina and the Latin American and Latino studies program of the University of Arkansas will present this free Bilingual/Bi-literacy program. The program meets daily and offers Latino students in grades 5-7 the opportunity to improve their literacy in Spanish and reinforce their English literacy, deepen understanding of their cultural heritage, and prepare for college. The program is funded in part by a College Challenge Grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. 

For more information about these or other programs of the office of Latino academic advancement and community relations, please contact professor Luis Fernando Restrepo at 479-304-8858 or by email at lrestr@uark.edu.