The Nicholas Academic Center and Morningside College Partnership

Morningside College has had a longtime partnership with the Nicholas Academic Center, an after-school program in Santa Ana, California that helps high school students pursue a higher education in their dream college. The program caters to Hispanic/Latino students who live in the city of Santa Ana and attend a high school in the Santa Ana Unified School District. Bringing those students to Morningside has definitely increased the diversity of students on campus.

First established in 2008 by Dr. Henry T. Nicholas and Judge Jack K. Mandel, the Nicholas Academic Center (NAC), has made it its mission to give underserved Santa Ana high school students a chance to go to college. The NAC strives to help these students successfully enroll in secondary education programs and prepare them to graduate college, and go on and live successful lives. The NAC centers are staffed and equipped with resources that students need for both their high school and college journeys such as tutors, mentors, academic directors, emotional support, college coordinators, social services, career development, and financial assistance.

The Nicholas Academic Center has multiple connections with college representatives and admission offices from institutions such as Georgetown, Haverford, Wabash, Allegheny, Hampshire, Colgate, and those found in Southern California. Representatives from these colleges often travel to the NAC centers to meet NAC scholars and persuade them to apply to a college that they would not have considered in their college search.

The Morningside partnership with NAC began when Morningside President John Reynders and his friend, Judge Mandel, reunited after college and decided to make a collaboration in which Morningside would welcome potential students from the city of Santa Ana. The students from the NAC would immediately be enrolled in the Student Success program at Morningside College and be under the guidance of Director of Persistence and Diversity and Student Success advisor, Andre McWell.

“Morningside was my first experience outside of California, specifically in the Midwest,” shared NAC alumni and Morningside senior, Nancy Coronel who has been in the NAC program for the last 9 years and is now pursuing a degree in Social Behavior Science-Law and Society. “NAC promised that Morningside would be something different and new.”

Having a partnership between the NAC program and Morningside College has opened a door of opportunity by allowing more diversity and inclusion to thrive here on campus.

“A few years ago I was asked and given the opportunity to go out to California and visit with students to share with them the experiences that they may be able to have at Morningside College and letting them know that there are opportunities for students of diversity to come out and try new things,” said Student Success advisor and NAC representative Andre McWell. McWell goes on to say that being able to visit NAC students and to challenge them to visit and attend Morningside helps make our campus more diverse and well-rounded.

“During my 2 years at Morningside and as a Hispanic student, I have felt welcomed and comfortable on campus,” shared Morningside sophomore and NAC alumni of 8 years, Lizeth Hilario. “Some people are more welcoming than others but what I mainly encountered is more people that are very welcoming.”

Studying Agriculture and Food Studies with double minors in Agribusiness and Spanish Morningside junior and NAC alumni of 5 years, Faustino Barroso also shares Hilario’s experience when he says, “As a Hispanic student, I have felt welcomed on campus and found my group of people that I confide in. I still receive looks from other people but my professors made me feel welcomed, which was nice. It was just a couple of looks here and there from students and staff.”

Amongst the NAC alumni, they believe that partnerships, such as Morningside’s and the NAC, can benefit any college campus by improving diversity and inclusion amongst the student population.

“When I first arrived at Morningside College 3 years ago, my initial thought was how different and how much it lacked diversity compared to other colleges I have visited,” said NAC alumni, Kimberly Murillo who has been in the program for 8 years and is now studying Biology at Morningside. “After 3 years of being here, that still hasn’t changed much but I hope to see it later in time.”

With the transition to a university, the current NAC alumni look forward to seeing how the next incoming group of NAC students will adjust to Morningside University and living out in the Midwest, hopefully making it their new home as well.