Excelencia in Education Recognizes Richard J. Daley College and Arturo Velasquez Institute’s Community Health Worker Program for Evidence-Based Practices Making a Positive Impact on Latino Student Success

Chicago, Illinois (August 13, 2024) – In Excelencia in Education’s 20th year of service to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, the organization announced today that Richard J. Daley College and Arturo Velasquez Institute’s Community Health Worker Program has been selected as a finalist for the 2024 Examples of Excelencia. Program finalists are recognized for intentionality in serving Latino students through culturally relevant, evidence-based practices. The Community Health Worker program is among 18 Examples of Excelencia finalists from around the country this year.

The Community Health Worker program at Richard J. Daley College and the Arturo Velasquez Institute provides educational access to Latino adult learners in Chicago, enabling them to earn a credential and become community leaders. The bilingual (English/Spanish) curriculum, developed in partnership with Enlace Chicago, focuses on increasing the number of credentialed community health workers who enhance health literacy and access in underserved areas.

Examples of Excelencia is the only national, data-driven effort to identify, aggregate, and promote evidence-based practices increasing Latino student success in higher education. As a finalist for the 2024 Examples of Excelencia, the Community Health Worker program is a model of what works for higher education leadership seeking asset-based programming that is sustainable, replicable, and data-informed.

“Participating in Examples of Excelencia allows practitioners to assess and share the impact of their program on Latino participants. Excelencia applauds this year’s finalists for ensuring their programming intentionally serves Latino students in comprehensive and asset-based ways to support them to and through college,” said Adriana Rodriguez, COO and vice president for institutional programs at Excelencia in Education.

The Community Health Worker program and the other finalists were selected through a review of 103 program submissions representing colleges, universities, and community-based organizations across 20 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in four categories: associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and community-based organizations. Since 2005, Excelencia has received over 2,000 program submissions, recognized over 400 programs for their impact, and awarded over $2 million to programs making a positive difference for Latino students across the country.

Programmatic details from all finalist programs will be featured online in Excelencia’s Growing What Works Database — the only national, searchable database for institutional leaders, funders, policymakers, and others interested in evidence-based programming for Latino students.

To see the full list of the 2024 Examples of Excelencia finalists, visit: EdExcelencia.org/what-works-examples-excelencia/examples-excelencia-finalists.

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About Excelencia in Education

Launched in 2004 in the nation’s capital, Excelencia in Education leads a national network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to tap the talents of the Latino community and address the U.S. economy’s needs for a highly educated workforce and engaged civic leaders. With this network, Excelencia accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, informing educational policies with a Latino lens, and advancing evidence-based practices. In 2024, Excelencia marks 20 years of commitment to Latino student success. For more information, visit: EdExcelencia.org.