Barrio Logan College Institute.
Imagine going to work every morning and taking the freeway exit named after your grandfather. This is Barbara Chavez Ybarra’s reality. As the granddaughter of the great Cesar Chavez, Barbara works in a community that celebrates his legacy, Barrio Logan, and for an organization that keeps that same community vibrant, the Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI).
Cesar Chavez was about improving the quality of life of some of our most vulnerable citizens. At BLCI, Latino students as early as third grade are formulating their dreams of a brighter future by aiming to be the first in their families to go to college.
In Barrio Logan, a lively neighborhood just south of downtown San Diego, only one in three adults has a high school diploma and less than 3% have a college education, yet 100% of BLCI students go to college! What’s more, the institute makes sure they serve as role models to those who are coming up behind them. The parents of the students invest at least 30 hours a year in furthering their own education in support of their children and giving back to BLCI through fundraising and volunteer work. More than a program, BLCI is becoming a movement for community change.
In November of last year, Barbara became BLCI’s first Director of Engagement. In the true inclusive spirit of her grandfather’s work, Barbara is charged with making sure all who want to contribute to this successful program can do so in a meaningful way by championing the cause, inviting others to learn more about it, and making a meaningful investment in the future of BLCI students.
Barbara and the larger BLCI family invite you to help make a difference in the lives of some of San Diego’s hardest working students at the Opportunity for Impact event on May 24th supporting BLCI’s college and career prep programs.
