The White House last week recognized the UC Undocumented Legal Services Center, operating out of the UC Davis School of Law, as a “Bright Spot in Hispanic Education.”

We also have some related shining achievements:

• UC Davis leads the UC system in enrolling Mexican students through the UC MEXUS-CONACYT Doctoral Fellowship Program.
• This weekend we’re co-sponsoring a Latino STEM Conference for high school and community college students.

Bright Spots in Hispanic Education

The UC Davis-based UC Undocumented Legal Services Center is among more than 230 Bright Spots across the nation — programs that invest in key education priorities for Hispanics. The government compiled the list on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

The center serves the immigration-related legal needs of undocumented and immigrant students at UC Davis and at six other campuses that, unlike UC Davis, do not have law schools: Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. The center provides its services free of charge to assist students in achieving their educational goals and reach their full potential.

Launched last November, the center (originally called the Undocumented Student Legal Services Center) has provided legal services to nore than 300 students and their families throughout California.

“UC Davis School of Law is proud to host the Undocumented Legal Services Center, which is playing such an important role in providing the high quality legal assistance students need in order to complete their educational journey and become our state’s next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers and community leaders," said Kevin R. Johnson, the law school's dean. "It is very gratifying to learn that this groundbreaking program has been honored by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.”

Read UC news release: “UC campuses, programs recognized for diversity”

Top Mexican grad students at UC Davis

UC Davis leads its sister campuses in enrollment through the UC MEXUS-CONACYT Doctoral Fellowship Program. Together they advance UC President Janet Napolitano’s initiative to help UC and Mexican institutions address common issues and educate future leaders. 

The fellowship provides doctoral students from Mexico with financial support for the high-quality international education and skills training needed to compete and collaborate in the global economy. And it brings some of the most talented graduate students from Mexico to UC Davis, where they also contribute to the diversity of the student body. 

“UC Davis has a robust international reputation and faculty committed to collaborative research in Mexico,” said Jeffrey Gibeling, vice provost of Graduate Education and dean of Graduate Studies. “In addition, we have strong doctoral programs across the agricultural sciences, environmental sciences and engineering, and these are the areas in which many students from Mexico wish to study.”

Read more in this UC Davis Today story featuring two of the participating graduate students, Natalia Lopez Carranza and Tonio Garay. (Video)

Latino STEM Conference

UC Davis and the Latino STEM Association, a newly formed nonprofit organization, are presenting this conference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 26). The day will begin with the welcome and plenary session at the Conference Center; other venues incloude the Buehler Alumni Center and Hyatt Place hotel.

The conference website describes the event as an interactive, hands-on learning environment for high school and community college students, including Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, students.

Up to 300 students will attend, according to Tammy McNiff, director of regional community engagement in the Office of Campus Community Relations. (Registration closed last week.)

"The conference will provide a richer understanding of the opportunities in the STEM fields and the steps it takes to achieve the educational and career dreams of the student attendees," she said.

The program includes workshops with two technology companies, Intel and SES Robotics Inc.; Think Verde (energy audits); and the Latino Startup Alliance; and other workshops on the topics of water, entrepreneurship and health professions.

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