Latino leadership at Harper College

Two Latinos who are the first in their families to attend college have taken student leadership roles at Harper College.

Miguel Hernandez, 25, of Hoffman Estates, was elected student senate president, while Alaine Garcia, 32, of Wheeling, is the Harper board's latest student trustee.

Both said they're excited to give Latinos, who make up 18 percent of Harper's 25,300 students, proper representation within the college's bodies of government.

"The community here is changing," Hernandez said. "We live in the suburbs of Chicago and this is our neighborhood and our community."

Both said, however, that their primary duty is to fight for the best interest of all students, regardless of their background.

That means lobbying to keep tuition costs down and actively supporting Harper's proposal to create a pilot program offering bachelor's degrees in public safety administration and homeland security, and in technology management. That effort was dealt a blow Thursday when a Senate panel rejected it.

"Four years ago, an associate's degree was good enough to take you somewhere in life, but with today's economy, it's just the beginning," said Hernandez, a political science major.

He and Garcia said they want to increase student participation in elections. This year, only 319 students cast ballots in the student senate and student trustee elections. The number in 2007 was even lower.

Hernandez and Garcia, a music student, aren't the only two Latinos in prominent positions at the college.

Last month, Carlos Borro of Palatine was appointed to the Harper board to fill the seat of the late Patrick Botterman.

Borro, 40, previously served on the student senate and was the student representative on the wellness and college assembly committees before being elected student trustee in April 2007.

Hernandez immigrated from Mexico as a teenager, while Garcia grew up in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Both take classes part time and work to support themselves, Hernandez as a store clerk and Garcia as lead student representative for the college's student service desk.

Serving on the student senate last year gave her great insight into the workings of governmental bodies, Garcia said.

"It really gave me knowledge of the process, like by learning Robert's Rules of Order," she said of the protocol rules used by U.S. governmental bodies. "You can really have a solid voice for students if you understand how it works."

While Garcia used her experience on the student senate to make the case that she was the best candidate for student trustee, Hernandez is learning everything as he goes as the first senate president who didn't previously serve as a member of the senate.

"I didn't (get elected) by sitting around. I went around to shake hands and talk to people," said Hernandez, who hopes to build more cohesion among the different student and social groups on campus, and possibly with other area colleges such as Elgin Community College.

"I want to bring everyone together to give back to the community," he said.

He also wants to spark on-campus support for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act, which would allow some undocumented high school students who want to serve in the armed forces or attend college to obtain legal status.

Garcia wants to ensure that students' needs are among the priorities of the board of trustees. For example, some of the college's student clubs and organizations are housed in older buildings that need some upgrading and repairs, she said.

"We also need to create more leaders," Garcia said.