The Chicana/o/x Studies Endowment was established with generous gifts from alumni, faculty, staff and community members to honor the community created in the Chicana/o/x Studies Program. In the stories shared by various alumni, it was the social activities and strong relationships that developed between faculty, staff and students that made the undergraduate experience such an unforgettable time at EWU.

“The Chicano Ed program and its staff helped me feel at home when I attended Eastern,” says Teresa Chavez ‘01, one of the Chicana/o/x Studies Endowment founders. “If it was not for the Chicano Ed Program, I am not sure I or my friends would have stuck around.”

Other endowment founders include Esther and Ricardo Chavez, who met at Eastern Washington University in 1994 and have been together ever since. Also, Christina Torres García and Martín Meráz García, both EWU Chicana/o/x Studies alumni and current faculty. Martín Meráz García is a professor in the department; Christina Torres García is the director of the McNair Scholars Program.

The founders say their experiences created a sense of loyalty, duty and the urge to give back to a program that gave them so much in terms of friendships, partnerships, memories and lived experiences. With your donation on Giving Joy Day, this fund can reach endowment and help provide similar experiences for deserving students in the Chicana/o/x Studies Program.