Weber State program geared to Spanish speakers experiences ‘staggering' uptick in interest
During the fall 2024 semester, the program's first, just a handful of students took part in Building Puentes, which offers online instruction in Spanish and English, one of its unique features. Then interest ballooned.
'We knew there was a need for this program in Utah, but the leap from four students to more than 100 students was pretty staggering. It just confirms the demand for classes like this and how excited people are to participate,' said Bryan Magaña, spokesman for the Ogden-based university.
Weber State has made outreach to Latinos a priority — about 30% of Ogden residents are Hispanics — and the launch of Building Puentes last fall figures in the efforts. In its initial phase, the focus of the bilingual program — geared to those whose primary language is Spanish — has been on helping business-minded students earn certificates of entrepreneurship to aid them in building their own businesses. Now, it also includes programming for those interested in getting early childhood education certificates, with plans in the works to create pathways to associate and bachelor's degrees.
'This program is offering a unique opportunity for individuals who have postponed or perceived higher education as out of reach due to language barriers,' said Yesenia Quintana, who helped develop Building Puentes and leads Weber State's Community Education Center. Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake County also has some class offerings in Spanish.
The focus of Building Puentes is to create a pool of professionals to meet the needs that university officials see in the community. Some of the first cohort of students have started businesses that offer care for the elderly, home cleaning, mental health services and more, according to Quintana. Looking ahead, plans are coming together to offer computer science-related certificates while additional elements call for the integration of English-as-a-second-language classes into the programming.
Of the students who took part during the 2024-2025 school year, 31 participated in commencement exercises on April 25, though they formally won't finish their classwork to get certificates until the summer semester. 'Seeing the pride in their children's eyes was so moving. It's exciting to think about the ways our graduates will use the skills they learned here to bring new ideas and businesses to Utah,' Magaña said.
University officials characterize Building Puentes as helping serve Utah's Spanish-speaking population. 'These classes are for anyone who speaks Spanish, so we've seen people from all over, from Utah and beyond,' Magaña said.
But it's hardly Weber State's only effort targeting Latinos. The university is also striving to become an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution with at least 15% of its students Latino. Becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution, with a student body that's 25% Latino, opens the door to additional federal funding.
A $2.5 million grant from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity and private donations fund Building Puentes. It still faces years of development, as university officials describe it, but they're optimistic.
'It's an innovative program that has expanded access to higher education in our region,' said Doris Geide-Stevenson, interim dean of Weber State's John B. Goddard School of Business and Economics. 'We're thrilled to recognize this milestone and look forward to expanding the program in the years ahead.'
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