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“I am thrilled to have this recognition," said Mercy College President Tim Hall. "In a time when too few students graduate college, particularly those most at risk due to family income, Mercy College is finding solutions to help more students succeed. We believe that we can do more to help our students succeed than we thought we could a generation ago. Students succeed when we raise our expectations and when we raise our level of support for those expectations.”
The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics was created to tackle educational disparities in Hispanic communities and to recognize organizations working to close the gaps.
The announcement of this year's Bright Spots in Hispanic Education was made at the kickoff of Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrates the 25th anniversary of the White House initiative.
Mercy, which was nominated for the honor, is now listed with 230 other programs and organizations in the national catalog for its commitment to educating Latino students. The college is one of two Hispanic Serving Institutions in the New York City area recognized for the White House distinction.
Roughly one-third of Mercy College’s student population is Latino.
Mercy College student Fatima Teos said she loves attending Mercy because of all the support she receives. “I want to create a legacy for my family. My dream is to be the first Latina woman chief executive officer of a Fortune [500] company.”
Student Angel Cespedes said thanks to Mercy College, “I now have a new vision of what it takes to be successful in the world.”
To learn more about the Bright Spots initiative, visit the national online catalog at www.ed.gov/HispanicInitiative.
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