On Thursday, June 24, 2021, the Alsame Executive Board met for their annual retreat. During this retreat, the board discussed some of the triumphs and difficulties of the year. Additionally, a new Executive Board was elected, and the board began to lay the framework for the remainder of 2021 and 2022. Below you will find some of these updates and plans.

Recap of the Year

The COVID-19 Pandemic forced Alsame to rethink its outreach strategies for Michigan Latinx students, and unfortunately, we had to postpone the 2020 and 2021 Alsame Conference until May 2022. Regardless of these changes, Alsame continued its mission through different virtual platforms. The board and members continued to meet, and several virtual events were hosted throughout the year.  Some of these events include, Alsame Presents: A Statewide Community Check-in, Alsame Scholarship Info Session, Alsame 2020 Scholarship Recipients Virtual Ceremony, and What are Michigan Colleges Doing for Latinx Students Resource Fair. We take this opportunity to thank everyone who assisted, planned, and attended these events!

New Executive Board

The Alsame Executive Board comprises volunteers who join us from various Michigan universities, colleges, and community organizations. The Executive Board for Alsame in 2021 – 2022 will be composed of the following volunteers:

Co-Chair, Salvador Lopez, KConnect, Lopezs@alsame.org

Co-Chair, Vanessa Reynolds, Wayne State University, af5507@wayne.edu

Vice Chair, Michael Guerra, Grand Valley State University, guerrami@gvsu.edu

Scholarship Chair, Gabriel Escobedo, Alma College, escobedogj@alma.edu

Treasurer, Norman Bent, University of Detroit Mercy, bentnt@udmercy.edu

Secretary, Patricia Young, Central Michigan University, emenp1pa@cmich.edu 

Communications Manager, Leo Ornelas, Michigan State University, ornelas2@msu.edu

 Alsame is still looking for a Social Media Chair, if you are interested or know anyone that is interested, please reach out to Alsame Chairs Salvador or Vanessa.

Moving Forward! 

Alsame is excited to announce that we are moving forward with plans for the 2022 Alsame Conference at Grand Valley State University. As the planning begins, we will share updates via our website and social media outlets. Also, the board continues the planning process for several other events that will take place before the conference. We look forward to sharing these details with our members, community partners, and students in the weeks to come.