ÉXITO's 2025 graduating cohor includes, from top row left: Hannah Gomez, Jasmine Concha, Nat Acosta, Den Earl Dulos, Oscar Ventura Cortez, Nat Alvarez; and bottom row from left: Julia Park, Jasmine Altamirano, Alondra Bedoy. Missing graduating scholars are Makaila Angevine, Nallely Leyva-Diaz, and Ana Guajardo.
On Wednesday, June 4, the UCSB Mosher Alumni House was filled with pride, hope, and celebration as UC Santa Barbara’s ÉXITO program honored its remarkable 2025 graduating cohort. Along with Dr. Adanari Zarate, the program’s associate director, co-directors Dr. Lisa Park and Dr. Rebecca Mireles Rios expressed their deep pride and excitement in the seeing off the young students. Both also emphasized the vital role the program plays in shaping future educators committed to ethnic studies and social justice.
“You all are the epitome of what ÉXITO is and why we do what we do,” remarked Dr. Park. “You are already so important and key to us having a livable world.” Dr. Mireles Rios echoed this sentiment, sharing her pride and anticipation for their futures. “I can't echo enough how proud we are of all of you, where you're going, and we look forward to hearing how your journey unfolds,” she said.
“As we culminate with graduating our 4th cohort, it has been reinforced year after year how important and necessary this program is to our local and national education communities,” Dr. Zarate remarked. “It’s been an honor to work alongside such brilliant and passionate future educators.”
The graduates, each with their unique backgrounds and inspiring aspirations, recently shared their reflections and hopes for the future.
Oscar Ventura Cortez is a first-generation student double majoring in Chicana & Chicano Studies and Spanish. “Never be afraid to show yourself in every space,” he said. “Your language, your roots, and your story are your strengths. Tu perteneces aqui.” This fall, Oscar will be attending Stanford University to pursue his MA and Teaching Credential.
Julia Park is graduating as a double major in Asian American Studies and Political Science and will be starting an MA/TEP program at UC Berkeley with the intention to teach high school Ethnic Studies in the future. “I gained so much from my experiences at UCSB and as part of ÉXITO, with the most important ones being about community, liberation, and love,” she said. “I hope to take these lessons and relationships with me as I enter graduate school and wherever may follow after, and I know I will look back at these years very fondly.”
Den Earl Dulos, a Filipino, queer, and first-generation student, aspires to be an Ethnic Studies educator. “I am pursuing my master’s in education and English/Language Arts Teaching Credentials at UCLA,” he said. “My goal is to return and teach in low-income and marginalized communities, highlighting culturally relevant and trauma-informed care pedagogies. I am forever grateful to ÉXITO for the support and resources. Isang Bagsak!”
Hannah Gomez, a first-generation Latina from the Central Valley, highlighted the power of support systems in her journey. “Obstacles can be steppingstones rather than setbacks” she said, adding that she is planning to pursue the Teacher Education Program at UCSB this summer, inspired by her family and friends. “If it were not for my amazing support system, I would have never found ÉXITO and gotten the opportunity to go further in my education than the generations of women before me.”
Nat Alvarez, from Southeast Los Angeles, spoke passionately about his commitment to educational equity and community healing. “What we do is for the seven generations after us,” he said. “Through ÉXITO, my time spent volunteering for the Santa Barbara School District, as well as my honor's research in the Chicanx Studies Department, I have committed myself to continuing community-based methods of healing that I plan on bringing back home through UCLA's Teacher Education Program, which I will begin this Fall.”
Nat Acosta, a fifth-year student with Mexican immigrant parents, shared his journey of rediscovering history through Ethnic Studies. “My parents immigrated to the US in the '90s from Mexico and settled in El Monte, California,” he said. “Growing up, they always instilled the importance of education in me and my younger sister’s lives. But without access to Ethnic Studies early on, I was taught a Eurocentric version of history, one that taught us that El Monte was the ‘End of the Santa Fe Trail,’ a motto that promoted the history of pioneers and Westward Expansion.”
Acosta’s early education left him questioning where people of color fit into the historical narrative being taught in California schools. “It wasn’t until I had access to spaces like the Chicanx Studies department at UCSB where I got to read stories by people of color,” he said. “Through the ÉXITO program I was then able to diversify my understanding of what it means to be an educator within Ethnic Studies by providing the culturally relevant knowledge that I plan to use in the classroom.” Acosta plans to pursue a teaching credential and master’s degree at UCLA, committed to creating affirming spaces for marginalized students.
Jasmine Concha, a triple major in Asian American Studies, Psychology, and Sociology, emphasized the importance of community and representation. “Being an educator is about community, healing, and representation,” she said. “As a multiracial student, I have been passionate about culturally responsive education and equity in the classroom. Through the ÉXITO program, I was able to conduct my own research on multiracial students belonging in Ethnic Studies spaces and cultural organizations on college campuses. I was also able to complete my practicum hours in a local high school Ethnic Studies classroom.” Concha will start her master’s in education at UC Riverside this fall, aiming to teach Social Science in K-12 classrooms with a focus on multiracial student experiences.
Shortly before each graduate received a special ÉXITO stole, Dr. Park concluded her sendoff speech on a note of pride for their achievement. “You all are the proof of concept,” she said. “The graduation rate for ÉXITO Scholars is 100%, and our acceptance rate for graduate programs is 100%. You are the future of education, and we are so proud of each of you.”