The New Mexico State University Foundation today announced a grant of $250,000 from Bank of America through its Progresando initiative, which focuses on helping more Latino students enter health fields or health research.
The two-year grant helps Latino students pursue health-related degrees, increasing diverse representation and addressing medical workforce shortages.
Latinos continue to face disproportionate barriers to access, availability and affordability of healthcare. In partnership with the education firm EAB, Bank of America selected 12 Hispanic-serving education institutions across the United States, including NMSU, for its Progresando initiative. The initiative also aims to increase representation and address the shortage of culturally sensitive, Spanish-speaking health providers.
“With Hispanic and Latino residents underrepresented in the health care industry, NMSU has many programs supporting this field of study to remove barriers and provide access, which is why the bank wanted to continue expanding their work through this investment,” said Paul Mondragón, president of Bank of America New Mexico. “As a proud Aggie myself, I am pleased to include NMSU in our efforts to help more local Hispanic and Latino students gain education and workforce experience as they chart their economic and professional path in New Mexico.”
The grant from Bank of America will help NMSU hire and train seven tutors who are graduate students or high-achieving undergraduates, and peer mentors to help 300 Hispanic and Latino students, about 150 per year. Their support will help students navigate the university and its resources, thrive in challenging classes to achieve graduation and find pathways into health professions.
The grant will also help students purchase medical terminology translation software, made available in a student computer lab at NMSU’s School of Nursing, which will help students learn and feel more comfortable speaking complex terms in Spanish.
“Students entering healthcare fields were hitting roadblocks in statistics classes, writing classes and classes with complicated medical terminology, especially when English is not their first language,” said Yoshitaka Iwasaki, dean of the NMSU College of Health, Education and Social Transformation. “As a result, they often changed majors or withdrew from school completely, resulting in a persistent shortage of people entering health fields. With help from the to the Bank of America grant, we can break this cycle.”
By hiring and training staff and tutors as well as helping students purchase the tools they need to succeed, NMSU expects stronger class pass rates for students who are tutored, higher retention of tutors trained to work with their fellow students, improved retention of NMSU students enrolled in health fields, and frequent use of the medical translation software.
“We are thrilled to receive this generous support from Bank of America,” said Derek Dictson, president of the NMSU Foundation. “There is a growing need for healthcare services throughout the country, and the Progresando initiative will help our students not only contribute to the need, but pave a successful path for future generations.”
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CUTLINE: Bank of America’s Progresando Initiative presented a $250,000 grant to the New Mexico State University Foundation Monday, Dec. 12, at Memorial Tower. The initiative helps encourage Latino students to enter health fields and research. Pictured from left are NMSU Foundation President Derek Dictson; Bank of America New Mexico Market Executive Nikki Mitchell; NMSU College of Health, Education and Social Transformation Dean Yoshitaka Iwasaki; NMSU nursing student Amanda Hidalgo; College of HEST interim Associate Dean for Academics Phillip Post; Bank of America New Mexico President Paul Mondragón; and Sheryl Duran, financial adviser with Merrill Lynch. (Photo by Ralph Diaz/NMSU Foundation)
A group of people holding an oversized check