Mission for ADELANTE Project and Borderlands Fellowship
The University of Arizona ADELANTE project is committed to strategically improving retention, degree completion, career readiness, and post-graduation success for Hispanic/Latinx and low-income students, addressing existing equity gaps and humanizing learning in HIS higher education institutions.
Borderlands Fellowship Program Overview
The Borderlands Fellowship Program offers place-based, culturally responsive professional development for University of Arizona faculty and staff. Its goal is to strengthen the university’s institutional capacity to provide students with an experience that resonates with their personal, family, and community history and identities.
Through this fellowship, participants will build institutional capacity by engaging in professional development and training opportunities focused on the Borderlands region. Fellows will reflect on advising and teaching practices informed by funds of knowledge frameworks and culturally responsive pedagogy tailored to Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).
Outline of Activities and Work Description
1. Curriculum and Professional Practices Training
Presenter: Dr. Judy Kiyama
Focus:
- Introduction to funds of knowledge, pedagogies of care, and culturally responsive strategies.
- Application of these concepts to advising practices for student support.
Outcome:
- Fellows gain tools to redesign their advising practices to better serve borderlands students through inclusive, asset-based approaches.
2. Career Readiness and Student Empowerment Workshop
Facilitator: Ash Parra
Focus:
- Understanding and defining “Career Readiness” in the context of first-generation and Latino/a students
Outcome:
- Fellows learn to identify and bridge opportunity gaps, guiding students toward successful academic and professional outcomes.
3. Panel Presentation: The Power of Testimonios and Strengthening Community
Facilitator: Melani Martinez
Focus:
- Exploring the practice and power of testimonios in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands
- Fostering community resilience, connection, and identity through storytelling
Outcome:
- Fellows gain insight into narrative practices that foster deeper community connection
- Use testimonios as a pedagogical and advising tool for advocacy, empowerment, and cultural affirmation
4. Presentation: Project CIELO and Experiential Learning
Facilitator: Dan Xayaphanh.
Focus:
- CIELO actively seeks to provide a valuable holistic student experience in the form of short-term trips both domestically and abroad.
- Themes of interdisciplinary learning are explored through CIELO programming.
Outcome:
- To make global experiential learning programs accessible and affordable, providing short trips, scholarships, and additional funding.