Weekly Hornet

Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: News

Photo by Sarah Steinke

By 11 a.m. September 13, people were already gathering outside the Wilshire Auditorium, milling about the tables set up. The event taking place was Bienvenidos: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, and the 4th Annual Student Success Orientation.

"Bienvenidos" is a word in Spanish that translates to "welcome back." The event is focused on helping students succeed and to celebrate Latin heritage. Everyone was encouraged and welcome to attend.

The highlighted event this year was a theatrical performance that was produced and directed by the Latina Breath of Fire Theatrical Group and the Orange County Dream Team. The performance was called "9 Digits Away From My Dream," and was directed by Angela Cruz. The "9" in the title is referring to the nine digits in a social security number.

The performance's focus is the undocumented student population in the U.S. and their struggles in attaining a higher education.
When speaking of "9 Digits," Adela Lopez, President of the Latino Faculty and Staff Association and Department Chair of the Ethnic Studies Program said, "The script was written by students about the experiences and obstacles they have had."

There were several tables set up to service students in a variety of ways. Representatives from several programs at FC were there to help students with financial aid, transferring and planning ahead for success.

The table set up by Admissions and Records informed students of AB 540, which helps students who are classified as nonresidents so that they can get resident rates. Among other tables, the Cadena Transfer Center was set up to help students plan to transfer to state, private and out of state universities.

The Orange County Dream Team had representatives Yenni Diaz and Armando Guerra available to promote awareness of SB160, a pending bill designed to help students attain scholarships and financial aid. Their hopes are that this bill will pass so that more students will have a better chance at pursuing a higher education.

The representatives were willing and excited to share their knowledge with students, offering a plethora of services to help students achieve success regardless of the obstacles they have encountered.

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