Thanks to a special program started at Sacred Heart University in 1998, more than 90 Latinos have enrolled in a unique course of study that gives them a real chance to better their lives and realize the American dream.
The Hispanic Adult Achievers Program (HAAP) offers students whose primary language is not English, an opportunity to earn a college degree at a reasonable cost, in a supportive atmosphere and, importantly, in a workable time frame. The curriculum combines English as second language oral and written communication courses with core academic courses. Students study with a familiar group of people who continue to support each other throughout their enrollment.
The pioneering program, HAAP, proves just what an impact can be made not only on the struggling lives of individual people but the community as a whole. “This is a program of friends,” said Jim Minor, director of English as a Second Language programs, at Sacred Heart University. “Students study together, learn together, work hard together, laugh together, cry together. They inspire, challenge, support and encourage one another in a loving community.”
Ready to begin the new academic year, Thiago R. Pires, of Bridgeport, an enthusiastic student, says, “Thanks to HAAP, I can dream again of pursuing an academic life that I always wanted. I am well aware that one of the richest things this country has to offer is not mostly the jobs, and the money, but the opportunity to get a higher education and a better position in life.”
The idea for the program started when St Mary's Church of Greenwich approached Sacred Heart University with a group of adult students from their Hispanic Educational Center. The Latinos dreamed of attending university and asked if Sacred Heart University could help make this happen. Eilene Bertsch, the university's assistant vice president for Academic Affairs and Sister Donna Dodge, vice president for Mission and Planning, then started the program in response to this request. Word got around and soon it began attracting other immigrants from the area, some of whom had been lawyers, teachers and engineers in their own countries before coming to the United States.
Under the helm of Sacred Heart University for the past seven years, the program developed, and HAAP's reach expanded to target members of the Fairfield County Latino communities who have strong academic ambition and are committed to their local Latino communities. All of the students are adults with full-time jobs. Some have families, most experience an assortment of troubling issues stemming from being immigrants, and they would likely not have the opportunity to earn a college degree if not for the HAAP program.
Once accepted into the program, students are immediately integrated into a cohesive community of Latino scholars. They study together as a cohort, insuring a familiar and supportive environment that will help them achieve their goal. Their obligation is to pay 30 percent of the cost of regular part-time tuition and a portion of the cost of textbooks. Donations from local businesses and foundations cover the rest. They are able to work towards a certificate, associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree and take as long as they need to earn the necessary credits.
Sacred Heart University came up with this life-altering formula for success that flies in the face of recent statistics. According to Minor, an alarming 70 percent of Latinos in the United States never attend university, and even those immigrants who have attended university in their home country that come to this country end up working as housekeepers, chauffeurs, nannies, and assembly workers.
Latinos in the United States are now the largest and fastest growing minority of the population. In fact, a United States Census Bureau 2000 report says that Hispanics make up 25 percent of the people in our country who are living in poverty. However, by the turn of the century, Latinos will make up the majority of American citizens, so the need to integrate them into American society as productive, wage-earning citizens becomes a major priority.
There is no doubt that Sacred Heart University's HAAP initiative addresses that humanitarian mission. “There are people in our Latino communities who have the will to improve their English and work hard to receive a higher education,” Minor said. “They just need a supportive environment and it's precisely this type of environment HAAP provides its students. They are able to work and study together as a group helping to motivate one another as they work toward their desired certificate or degree.”
In HAAP, Sacred Heart University has come up with an alternate educational program that works. Figures show that many students participating in HAAP have acquired a better job or have been promoted. And the program is growing. As students continue to achieve their baccalaureate degrees, their example has inspired others in the program to persevere in their studies. “That's what's so great about HAAP. It's a community of Latino scholars who support, challenge, and inspire one another as each pursues his or her academic goal,” Minor said.
Oscar Caal, another HAAP student, agrees. “I am very thankful to Sacred Heart University for this program, it has made my Latin-American dream come true. HAAP has changed my life. It has opened doors of opportunity for me that had been closed in the past. The program has been like family to me. The students all share similar goals because we are minorities. I have earned 37 credits and my goal is to graduate from Sacred Heart University.”
For more information about HAAP, please contact Director James Minor at 203-371-7837 or visit the program website at http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/2508_hispanic_adult_achievers_program_haap_.cfm .
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