08/28/2026
There are moments when you look around a room or in this case, around Clark Park and realize you are standing in the middle of something much bigger than an event. ❤️
Seeing generations of alumni from Wayne State University’s Latino En Marcha, Chicano-Boricua Studies, and Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies come together for our El Colectivo Summer Gathering filled my corazón.
More than 50 people joined us, representing a legacy that stretches back 55 years and includes more than 2,500 alumni. That history matters. But what moves me most is what that history has always been rooted in: COMMUNITY.
As the inaugural President of El Colectivo, I don't see our role as simply creating another alumni association. I see us building a bridge between generations, between our university and our neighborhoods, and between the leaders who paved the way and those still finding their own path.
Our programs taught generations of students that education and leadership aren't only about what happens inside a classroom. They are about what we do when we return to our communities. How we advocate. How we open doors. How we mentor. How we show up for one another. How we make sure the next generation doesn't have to navigate those doors alone.
And that is what I want El Colectivo to embody.
Community before titles.
Relationships before résumés.
Collective success over individual recognition.
There was something incredibly powerful about seeing alumni from different generations laughing, reconnecting, sharing stories and discovering connections they didn't even know they had. Some helped build the foundation decades ago. Others are carrying that work forward today. And together, we are creating space for those who will come next.
The name El Colectivo itself honors the spirit of the student and community organization formed in the early 1970s a reminder that our roots have always been connected to advocacy, activism and service.
That makes being asked to serve as the inaugural President especially meaningful to me. This isn't about leading from the front. It's about bringing people together. Porque cuando nuestra comunidad se conecta, se apoya y se levanta junta, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.
Thank you to everyone who came home to community with us. And thank you to EL CENTRAL Hispanic News for documenting this moment and helping tell the story of where we've been and where we're going.
This is only the beginning. 💚💛
Somos alumni. Somos comunidad. Somos El Colectivo.
"Read the EL CENTRAL feature: El Colectivo Alumni Summer Gathering" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/2)
