TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Tallahassee Community College receives a surplus in Hispanic student enrollment. Latino Student enrollment has gone up 37% since last year.
A big part in TCC’s recent rise in minority enrollment is the new program Hispanic Alliance for Talented Students also known as HATS. The program started in the fall 2021 semester. It promotes intercultural understanding and empowerment.
After noticing the lack of groups for Latinos the faculty took the initiative to provide a network for the students.
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Calandra Stringer says, “How do we recruit more Hispanic Students but once they get here how do we provide those wrap around services for those students. How do we make sure that they stay engaged, how do we make sure that they feel comfortable and most of all how do we make sure that we support them academically while they are here on campus.”
She goes on to explain how the program equips students with the tools to move on to the next level academically, prepares them for the work force, and offers scholarships.
Sophomore Tiffany Canseco is hoping to be accepted by the HATS program this year. She first got the idea from her Spanish teacher. After researching she found that there were many benefits even outside of the classroom.
“So I know that they are working on mental health awareness for minorities in general, so being able to have a community where we can talk about those kinds of things and they understand your background as a person of color would be really, really cool and I’m looking forward to that.”
The HATS program has been a key element in the school’s success and even has landed TCC a nomination in the 2022 Examples of Excellencia.
“We’re very excited about the nomination they really look at our data and our equity gap. So the fact that they’ve nominated us means that we are moving in the right direction," says Calandra Stringer.
To be eligible for the program students must be of Hispanic decent, have a minimum GPA of 2.5, and a high school diploma.
