A Continued Commitment to Community

Created in 2005 by Excelencia in Education, Examples of Excelencia is a national initiative that recognizes institutions and nonprofit organizations that identify, aggregate, and promote evidence-based practices that improve Latinx student access in higher education.  The four entities recognized this year span a diverse geographic area, but they share the mission of uplifting their communities while also creating a broader impact in terms of education and the workforce.

Associate

Engineering Program at Wright College (EPW)

Part of the City Colleges of Chicago, Wright College is home to an engineering cohort program that has grown from nine students at its inception to 550 today. Utilizing a holistic approach, its mission is to ensure that all students thrive in engineering and computer science, particularly Latino, Black and women students, who are underrepresented in these fields.

Dr. Doris EspirituEPW was created by Dr. Doris Espiritu, Senior Advisor to the Provost, dean of the Center of Excellence for Engineering & Computer Science, City Colleges of Chicago. It began as a pilot program in 2015 and started in earnest in 2018 with 25 students after receiving a $1.68 million research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Over the past five years, EPW has served 909 students, 68% of whom are Latino.

“We’re changing the landscape of how community colleges serve underserved students,” says Espiritu. “We are an affordable institution. Also, it’s the environment. Having cohorts here is really important, especially for engineering and computer science because it’s a community that supports each other.”