Mantella, GVSU open first LatinXperience Symposium in Holland

For all the tremendous gains the Latin American community has made in higher education, President Philomena V. Mantella said more must be done to help Latino and Hispanic students reach educational equity on campuses across the nation.

Grand Valley serves as the title sponsor for this week’s Fiesta Week, the 60th anniversary of the celebration of Latino culture, presented by Latin American United for Progress in Holland. 

On July 16, Mantella along with B. Donta Truss, vice president for Enrollment Development and Educational Outreach, and Danny Vélez, associate vice president for Admissions & Recruitment, opened the first LatinXperience Symposium by welcoming attendees to the Holland Civic Center.

Along with remarks from Mantella, Truss and Vélez, the symposium included a keynote address from Michigan State University faculty member Delia Fernández-Jones and a panel discussion.  

“These discussions are so critically important to all of our work of building community — whether it's earning, learning, living or contributing — where everyone feels that they are a part of it, they belong and have a voice,” Mantella said. 

Mantella said GVSU is committed to elevating the educational journey of Latino students, stating that the university is the third largest producer of Latino graduates in the state. 

Mantella said the 2023-2024 first-year class had the highest number of Latino/Hispanic students in GVSU history , while more than 2,500 Latino/Hispanic first-year students were admitted for the 2024 Fall semester, an increase of 10 percent from the last academic year.

“If we bridge our diverse perspectives and respect them, we have the ability to empower citizens, attract citizens and bring ourselves along as a state and as a nation,” Mantella said.