Leader of Hispanic College Awareness Program Stands As Example

By Mariah Powell, College Intern

Jose Reyes waited by the stairs in UNC Charlotte’s Barnhardt Student Activity Center, as Charlotte Mecklenburg students arrived for the third annual AVID Day. Reyes had a mission on that day – to help the teens understand the importance of going to college.

Reyes, a UNC Charlotte Spanish and Finance major, learned that lesson growing up on the rough side of Los Angeles. Now, as president of the Hispanic College Awareness Program at UNC Charlotte, he works with fellow HCAP members to encourage Hispanic students to attend college.

“Jose and his group take the time to visit regional elementary, middle and high schools with high enrollments of Latino students, and they share their stories of how they were able to go to college,” said Samuel Lopez, director of Multicultural Academic Services at UNC Charlotte.. “They tell how some of them have had to overcome tremendous obstacles but have persevered and made it to UNC Charlotte.”

Reyes stands out among his peers, shoulders back, eyes straight ahead and a welcoming smile on his face as he talks with students at UNC Charlotte and area high schools.

“I say this to the kids. ‘I was born between Watts and Compton. The toughest of the toughest,’” Reyes said. “I know the struggle. I know the tough life. I was born to a single mother of two,” Reyes said. Reyes credits his mother for teaching him morals and values. “Everything she had she always gave. Anything we needed.”

Reyes grew up around gang culture and lost a family member to gang violence. But he did not let his environment dictate the path he wanted to choose in life. “I always knew I was going to go to college, especially since my older sister went to college,” Jose said. “I tell the students I’ve been through hell and back. If you say ‘you can’t do it’ you’re just lying to yourself.”

Even with his mother and older sister emphasizing the need for higher education, Jose still experienced some rough years.

“High school, they were difficult years for me,” Reyes said. “I was earning D’s. I failed two classes; that my mother still doesn’t know about. But my turning point came in the eleventh grade when I started getting more involved in my church. It just changed my views completely.”

After attending community college, Reyes’ path to UNC Charlotte and helping other Hispanic students pursue higher education solidified.

Reyes joined the Hispanic College Awareness Program in Fall 2011 and participated as an active member until taking on the role of president for the club. “He almost single handedly created this outreach organization and has recruited other students on campus to take part,” said Ann Gonzalez, a Spanish professor who taught Reyes.

“He epitomizes for me the kind of students we all want to have at UNC Charlotte, students with vision, who put the needs of others first, and who do what they can to make the world a better place for everyone,” Gonzalez said.

Reyes works with the other members of the program to help Hispanic students overcome the obstacles they face in pursuing higher education. Many of the students the program tries to reach deal with issues such as helping support their families and handling documentation status issues. They also lack knowledge about ways to pay for education.

HCAP currently works with other universities to expand college awareness among Hispanic people. “I’m currently working with Dr. Lopez and Wingate University [to] possibly have our own branch at [Wingate],” Reyes said.

The Charlotte community provides a specific environment for HCAP to work. “I think it differs here because the Charlotte community has such a huge Hispanic population we can reach out to,” Reyes said.

“The [HCAP] students that I’ve met here are very passionate about their grades,” he said. “That passion transfers to the high school students and gets them excited. [High School students] are like, ‘If they can do it, then I can do it.’ We have that passion, that drive, that some other schools may not have.”

With Reyes as president, an average of 29 people volunteer with the group. The group’s funds have grown from $40 to $300 in contributions, with more coming in. “Everyone is hearing our name, so in the end, it means we are doing something right,” Reyes said.

“I have had the wonderful experience of working with Jose for the past few years and though I know it is time for him to move onto the next phase of his career, I will miss his leadership and presence here on our campus,” Lopez said.

Photo information:

On a recent day, students with HCAP worked with students from Garinger High School, providing a tour and insights into college life. The HCAP students frequently work with local middle and high school students to encourage college aspirations.