Latino Alumni Association honors alumnus with annual recognition

The Latino Alumni Association held its second annual distinguished alumni luncheon Saturday, honoring the achievements of IU alumnus Jesse M. Villalpando with the Distinguished Latino Alumni Award. \nThe award is presented to a Latino graduate recognized as an outstanding member of his or her particular field, as well as for the contributions that have been made to the IU community and Bloomington at large.\nBoth the luncheon and the award began last year as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of La Casa, the Latino cultural center. \nVillalpando is currently serving on the bench of the Superior Court of Lake County. He received both his bachelor's degree and his juris doctorate from IU, completing his studies in 1984.\nFollowing graduation, Villalpando began his service in the Indiana House of Representatives. There, he authored such legislation as the anti-stalking law, anti-gang law and drug paraphernalia law. \nVillalpando was also the author of the CLEO bill, which created an annual and still active scholarship that provides for the needs of 35 first-year law students from non-traditional legal backgrounds. Additionally, Villalpando assisted in raising funds for the Indiana Civil Legal Aid Program. This program provides legal services to poor Indiana residents in need of legal representation.\n"When you come to campus you never expect that you'll get this recognition," Villalpando said. "And to see so many people that I was a student of, or worked with 20 years ago, it is very rewarding to see those people and take the time off to be part of the program."\nSince the first alumni luncheon last fall, the Latino Alumni Association has been working to create a network of contacts and knowledge for one of the campus' least represented groups. \n"Latinos have been in lower numbers (at IU)," said Michelle Gutierrez, student adviser for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. "For example, the African-American community has been more well established. They have a longer history here on campus and greater numbers too. It may have been that back in the day when this campus wasn't as welcoming as it is now that students might have been happy to say they made it through and left and not come back. But I think that now that the University is a lot more diversified, the alumni feel more welcomed and remember that they have the ability to help students."\nBesides recruitment drives, this help comes in the form of the alumni mentoring program. Interested students are paired with an alumnus who helps to guide the student through the courses and choices necessary to become successful in life and in their chosen career path.\nThe Latino Alumni Association also awarded its first Latino Alumni Association Undergraduate Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to a full tine IU-Bloomington student who, in addition to having academic success, is also a leader in their community.\nThe inaugural award winner was Manuel S. Martinez, a sophomore from East Chicago, Ind., majoring in biology. Martinez has plans of attending medical school and has been accepted into the Hudson and Holland Scholars program. Last summer Martinez was one of 20 undergraduates chosen to participate in the Medic-B program, which is a 10-week summer research program in which students work with faculty members on major research projects.\nOn campus, Martinez is a resident assistant as well as a peer adviser in the Groups program, an organization that aids students who are the first in their family to attend college, those with limited financial resources and students with disabilities. Last spring break Martinez conducted a high school lecture tour, traveling to schools in Northwest Indiana and talking to students about the importance of earning a college education.\n"I just let them know that anything can be achieved as long as they keep firm and remember that it takes a lot to be where you want to be, and as long as you know where your goals are, you can achieve them," Martinez said\nInformation on the Latino Alumni Association can be found by contacting Michelle Gutierrez at (812) 855-9632, or at its Web site, www.indiana.edu/~latinoaa.\n-- Contact staff writer Dan A. Coleman at daacolem@indiana.edu.