Vanessa Mendez
reporter

Hispanic students said they are glad the underrepresented community is getting the resources they need thanks to a $600,000 federal grant awarded to TCC by the U.S. Department of Education’s Developing His-panic-Serving Institutions Program.

This grant was awarded in early September to several Hispanic serving institutions of higher education in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will be maintained for five years.

TCC and other institutions were able to meet the guidelines as Hispanic serving institutions, which require at least 25% of full-time students to be Hispanic.

TCC’s enrollment is almost 34% Hispanic.

The grant may be used for activities such as the purchase of educational materials, faculty development, academic tutoring, distance learning academic instruction and student support services among other things, according to the department’s website.

This grant will be used toward improving college, career and life readiness and professional development at TCC. The grants provided by the DHSI program help assist in the expansion of academic opportunities for the Hispanic student population.

For NE student Alma Govea, this grant brings her pride. Govea is proud to know that she and other Hispanics are being represented in her community.

“As a Hispanic student myself, I’m proud to know that we are being represented well,” she said. “This grant is definitely going to help so many Hispanic students.”

Govea said she feels the grant will help show that the Hispanic community is cared for.

“I’m proud that I chose to go to TCC,” she said.

“Never have I felt underrepresented and if other Hispanic students have felt the opposite, this grant will demonstrate that Hispanic students are cared for.”

NE student Alan Mendez shared his experience of feeling judged in his community solely because he is Hispanic.

“I do feel like I’ve been underrepresented,” Mendez said. “There have been times when people just judge me because I’m His-panic and just don’t care about what I have to say.”

Mendez said he thinks the grant is a positive resource for Hispanics.

“I think it’s good for the Hispanic com-munity, having that sort of resource is a positive outcome,” he said.

NE student Christian Romo has not felt underrepresented but does think this grant will help in improving his career.

“I have personally never felt underrepresented, but we work hard for our living and we want to further our career from what it is right now, so this will definitely help,” he said.