Statement on Equity and Belonging
Statement on Equity and Belonging
Jose Jacobo, PhD.
Statement on Equity and Belonging
My commitment for equity and belonging has been strongly influenced by my personal experience. As a Mexican American, I was harassed by teachers and administrators for speaking Spanish and not knowing enough English. Personally, discrimination deprived me of opportunities of freely expressing myself because it developed on me an inferiority complex that was difficult to overcome. Harassment from educators forged my desire to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for students regardless of their background or any attributes that might lead to discrimination. By way of explanation, I am committed to implementing a mission of student empowerment through mentoring and the necessary methods of instruction.
I started college at St. Philip’s in San Antonio, Texas, a community college that is both a Historically Black College and a Hispanic Serving Institution. For its historical significance to East San Antonio, St. Philip’s has served as a place for empowering minorities from underserved communities. In other words, St. Philip’s nurtured my vision of becoming a leader and improving the educational system from within.
During my PhD at Texas A&M University, I worked with a variety of students in various programs. For instance, I was part of the Amig@s Mentorship Program for two years where I worked with first generation, Hispanic, LGTBQ+, and international graduate students. As a mentor, I provided students with guidance about university resources and checked on them regularly to ease their incorporation into college life. As minorities in a Predominantly White Institution, our goal was to create a sense of community among underrepresented students. Moreover, I served as a mentor and colloquia facilitator for Graduate Students in the Department of Global Languages & Cultures. Specifically, I provided my colleagues with professional development and teaching workshops to build their professional portfolio and enhance their ability to ensure an inclusive classroom environment. In addition, I was a Graduate Student Advisor for the Sigma Delta Pi Lambda Tau Chapter. This is a National Honor Organization dedicated to give visibility to Hispanic cultures. In this role, I mentored the undergraduate leaders, President and Vice President, on matters regarding student activities and cultural events.
Besides my experience as a mentor, I enhance equity and belonging through my teaching practices. At Blinn College, the student population is composed of White, Latino, and African Americans, students from underserved communities (both urban and rural) and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Personally, I can relate to the hardships my students encounter and, for that reason, my aim for equity begins in the syllabus. I define due dates as suggested dates for submissions. Many instructors lock submissions after the due date preventing students from turning in assignments. In my opinion, this is not only detrimental to their learning, but also to their mental health as students constantly stress from working long hours on top of completing assignments on time. For me, this is not a matter of accommodation but a matter of equity because we should not punish students for coming from underserved communities. In this case, working with underrepresented students permits me to guide them and ensure their success as they adjust to college.
At Texas A&M University, my student population was predominantly White, female, and generally from middle class backgrounds. Regardless of their background, I connect with my students via a culturally responsive teaching approach basing my lesson plans on their personal experiences. That is, I guide their intellectual growth by creating an environment where students affirm themselves. I call this a recentering process where students build their cultural competence and their critical consciousness parting from their own circumstances to identify and analyze the course content and various issues dealing with societal inequities. This teaching strategy allows me to modify my lessons to meet my students’ needs.
Lastly, as educators we must ensure all students have access to the necessary resources to enable them to become leaders in society. Equity and belonging must transcend the classroom and translate into a mechanism to improve our society.