TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The University of Arizona's Hispanic Alumni Club (UAHA) was founded in 1982 to support Hispanic students across the state attending college. 40 years later, the group is going strong, providing scholarships and retention programming for more than 100 UArizona students each semester.
To celebrate 40 years on campus, UAHA will hold a ticketed 40th anniversary celebration at Casino del Sol Friday, Sept. 23.
The university also has a number of Hispanic Heritage Month festivities planned that will coincide with the anniversary. UAHA will hold a tailgate before the Saturday, Oct. football game against Oregon. Music and dance performances will also be featured during the game, and at Hotel Congress in September.
Alumni who were supported by UAHA during their years in school have gone on to become community leaders in the greater Tucson community.
"The interest, of course, was, 'How are you going to expand your touch with the Hispanic community?'" said Marty Cortez, a UAHA co-founder and former president who later served on the Pima Community College Board of Governors.
"‘And how are you going to get involved to progress and participate among the Hispanic community members and work to fulfill that?'," asks Cortez.
UAHA first began awarding scholarships in 1986. In more recent years, since 2011, UAHA has awarded 1,085 scholarships worth more than $3.4 million that go to support undergraduate and graduate students.
"They don't just give you the money and send you on your way to deal with navigating school on your own," Celina Urquidez, a former scholarship recipient who currently works as an education coordinator in the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities. "When I was involved in the scholarship program, they really took care of me and mentored me in a way that I would not have had access to otherwise."
Urquidez is also a co-chair for for the 40th anniversary celebration planning committee, and an exemplar of a former UAHA member who ended up giving back to the Tucson and Hispanic community following her time at the university as a student.
A previous iteration of the club, Los Universitarios, was founded in 1955 by John Huerta with the goal "to ease the passage of Hispanic students through the halls of the university."
In addition to scholarship, UAHA has focused on student retention since 1998, partnering with the Department of Mexican American Studies and the Adalberto and Ana Guerrero Student Center. Together, the groups help students develop networking and public speaking skills.
Upcoming UArizona Hispanic Heritage Month Events:
- Mariachi Herencia de México with special guest Lupita Infante
- Friday, Sept. 16 at Hotel Congress
- UAHA 40th Anniversary Celebration
- Friday, Sept. 23 at Casino del Sol
- Cimafunk – El Alimento Tour
- Wednesday, Sept. 28 at Hotel Congress
- UAHA tailgate
- Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
