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���Ĺ���’s commitment to supporting the spiritual needs of Latine students is emphasized in an article published by Religion News Service and also appearing in the National Catholic Reporter.

The article, “At Catholic Colleges, Latino Students Increasingly Find a Place that Feels Like Home,” looks at how campus ministries help students find belonging. DU’s Pasos Network, !El Futuro is Here! conference, and Nepantla, DU's theology and arts journal, are highlighted.

“Armando Guerrero Estrada, the director of PASOS, said Latino students who have attended its conferences say, ‘they just wanted to be heard,’" the article notes. “They just wanted to be seen, and they wanted to be included in the decision-making of their campus ministries."

Andrew Mercado, director of University Ministry; Sr. Christin Tomy, OP; and student intern Evelyn Acosta Celestino, are also featured in the piece.

“The education at ���Ĺ��� can also make Latino students feel empowered,” the article notes. “Mercado said Latino students, many of whom have never been exposed to Latino theologians, can ‘immerse themselves in the history and the richness of Hispanic Catholicism in the U.S. and the contributions of Latinos in the U.S. Catholic Church.’"

Read the full story .

Religion News Service further highlighted DU’s work in Latine student support in a second article, entitled “Latinos are Underrepresented in Catholic Higher Ed. These Schools are Trying to Change That.” The piece features Jacky Neri Arias, assistant vice president for Hispanic-Serving and Culturally Sustaining Initiatives, who shares some of the ways the university meets the needs of its large Hispanic student population and makes families part of the educational process.

“In monthly Family Academy sessions given in English and Spanish, any ���Ĺ��� family can meet other families and learn about how to support their students,” the article says. “By attending five sessions, families can enroll their student in a summer class at no cost. But every facet of the university is involved in meeting the needs of Hispanic students, Neri Arias said, from culturally responsive programming and ministry to support for students with challenges due to immigration status, first-generation status or finances. That support might look like running a food pantry or treating all U.S. resident students in the financial aid process as domestic regardless of their citizenship status.”

The article notes that Catholic, Hispanic-serving universities have been “hit hard by the Trump administration’s cuts to higher education, including funding specifically for Hispanic-Serving Institutions.”

Read the full story .