Popular University is dedicated to forging community leaders for California

As schools in California were on spring break Friday, dozens of Popular University students –ranging in age from 60 to 17 - honored César Chávez by picking up trash from a large area around a elementary school, in a day of service to the community to honor the peasant leader.

Among the university volunteers were peasants, retirees, high school or high school students, most of them immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

Arcela Núñez Álvarez, co-founder and co-director of the Popular University told La Opinión that this contingent that cleaned the streets reflects both the values ​​and what is daily on the campus in San Marcos.

“The Popular University is a place where people from any place, their origin, regardless of their level of educational preparation or the language they speak, can be particularly prepared to serve the community,” said the director. Many of the students, including some between the ages of 78 and 79, never had an opportunity to study and learn, either in their home countries or in California, but have learned about health, history, civics, community involvement, and environmental justice, among other subjects.

Others are high school students who have decided to do their social service on campus, some more are mothers, fathers, or peasants who don't have a lot of free time to study. The director said that the idea is to prepare community leaders who seek the common good, especially among the most needy communities.

Some former students of the Popular University are now aldermen, members of city government councils, such as Corinna Contreras and Cipriano Vargas in Vista, or María Núñez in San Marcos, “but many of our alumni are leaders of organizations, of groups that seek collective well-being,” said the co-founder.

He has also helped legal residents of various communities prepare to obtain US citizenship. Arcela Núñez said that many of the former students, once they have citizenship, decide to continue their studies with the intention of being community leaders.

The university began training leaders a decade ago, but formally presented its courses three years ago and then it also began to link up with other universities and educational centers. And several former students of the first generations continued at the university, but as class assistants.

But when the pandemic hit three years ago, the Popular University found in that health crisis an opportunity to put its sense of community service into practice.

The campus refocused its classes to actively support people, reached out to communities that the health authorities would hardly have arrived; They brought families critical information in Spanish and other languages ​​about Covid 19, and promoted vaccination as a popular defense against the coronavirus from their campus.

Arcela Núñez is unaware of the precise impact of the university's mobilization against the pandemic, but infections dropped and people took more preventive measures.

From that experience, she started a Health class, in the one in which a doctor talks with the students and guides them on health issues of social benefit.

The co-founder of the university explained that, personally, her concern to help came from the day she crossed the border some 42 years ago as a undocumented.

Arcela Núñez's mother, Mrs. Eva Tinoco, had to leave the Mexican state of Michoacán and came to the agricultural region of San Marcos and north San Diego in search of work.

With As time and savings allowed, Doña Eva brought each of her six daughters, all girls, to California, all crossing the San Diego border.

Councillor María Núnez, Arcela's sister and former student at the Popular University, recalls that When Arcela Núñez arrived in California, "she only brought the clothes she was wearing,"and nothing else.

In 1986, with the immigration reform, the whole family obtained legal residence and later citizenship, and Arcela Núñez understood that she could do a lot for her community if she were American.

So she joined the taste for helping others on behalf of Mrs. Eva Tinoco and as if she were in Michoacán, she wanted to support neighbors and acquaintances to become citizens.

Since then, the History and Citizenship class has been one of the most requested at the Popular University and became representative, because in the same class high school youth without adult tutors and the talks constantly change languages. Occasionally 150 people have come.

That task was recognized a few days ago by Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, when he recognized Arcela Núñez as one of the California Women Who Make History at the capitol. Arcela entered the capitol with her mother, because she said that all this was due to Mrs. Eva Tinoco.

Popular University is in the process of official registration with the California Association of Colleges and Universities, and as part of its expansion, the co-director said she would like to establish exchanges with Los Angeles institutions to train leaders.

If someone gets If you are interested in learning more about the Popular University, you can visit its Facebook page at https://www. Facebook.com/universidadpopularca