A Push in the Right Direction

Castaneda-Liles in front of her decorated wall in her office devoted to images of the Lady of Guadalupe and friends from Sacred Heart Parish.

Socorro Castaneda-Liles was always told that the direction of her life was headed anywhere except toward a college degree. School systems, teachers and counselors helped minimize her confidence in higher education and her own intelligence level. It was a deep devotion to her religion that led her to Padre Mateo Sheedy, a pastor at Sacred Heart Parish, who became her mentor and pushed Socorro to continue her education onto a higher level.

It was during her first year at Santa Clara University she had an epiphany. “When I started learning more about how my individual problems were not just one case but it was collective… That’s what really fascinated me.” Realizing how much a strong support system can influence a child’s educational career path, she decided to dedicate her time educating working-class Hispanic families about available school options.

In 1998 while attending Santa Clara she began to make opportunities for the Latino community, especially the youth. She introduced and helped create the Guadalupe Celebration and San Juan Diego Scholarship program to attend Santa Clara University and Sacred Heart Parish.

Castaneda-Liles recalls Father Sheedy telling her, “You tell them that that’s the way we pray, through flor y canto. Through poetry, through song, that’s how our ancestors exercise our faith.” She used this logic to persuade Santa Clara University to allow the Sacred Heart Parish to hold the fiesta in the mission. The celebration of the Feast of Our Lady Guadalupe is a mass and a play put on by Teatro Corazon. It was only through the combined strength of Padre Mateo along with several other key figures that Castaneda-Liles was able to organize this event.

Not only did this celebration bring her two communities together, but it allowed for Hispanic families to visit a college campus and educate them on how to apply. This was something Castaneda-Liles had never experienced. “When I was in high school I had never been to a college campus, I didn’t know what they looked like. So I thought that going to college was like when you go from elementary to junior high, from junior high to high school. That the institution tells you where to go.”

During this first celebration is when Padre Mateo announced that Santa Clara University was awarding one individual from their parish a four year scholarship. Since that night, what is now known as the Juan Diego Scholarship has been awarded once a year to someone of Hispanic descent that has already been accepted to SCU. This surprising revelation in the night gave faith to working-class Latino families to be able to send their children to college. Karla Garcia, one of the past winners of the scholarship, is now a Junior at Santa Clara University. “It’s something that has completely changed my life and has opened so many doors for me.” She continues to share, “I would probably be going to community college right now or working if I hadn’t received the scholarship.”

Castaneda-Liles had many similar experiences to that of most working-class Hispanic children during her early education. She was placed in ESL programs when she was nine after immigrating from Ciudad Jaurez, Mexico. She was also often placed in non-college prep courses throughout high school.

According to the 2009 census report only 9.6% of the Hispanic community in America received a bachelor's degree compared to 19.3% of Caucasians. What these statistics don’t show is the difference in educational level for an undocumented or documented immigrant compared to U.S. born Latino. In 2002 statistics from the “Pew Hispanic Center Fact Sheet” reveals only 45% foreign-born Latinos graduate high school compared to 73% of U.S.-born Latinos.

What made Castaneda-Liles different from other Hispanics of her background? She was able to seek help from someone in the Sacred Heart Parish who was knowledgeable in the workings of the school system. Many people simply accept that they aren’t college material based on their upbringing. Castaneda-Liles emphasizes that “It’s very, very important to first of all to believe in yourself. And that’s easier said then done, because it’s very difficult. It’s difficult to believe in yourself when everyone around you or everything, institutions, tell you the opposite.” With the support of her mentor, her family, and belief in herself, she was able to graduate from Santa Clara University and receive a M.A and Ph. D. in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara.

She has now come full circle and is back at home teaching at her alma mater and continuing to volunteer her time to the community and Sacred Heart Parish. While she spends more of her time teaching at SCU, colleagues such as Paul Crowley S.J., the religious studies department chair, recognizes her passion and dedication to her community. “She is very committed to attracting more Latinos to Santa Clara and is working with people in admissions to make that happen.” Her dream of becoming a mentor to youth just like herself has become a reality.

Students such as Paola Garcia, Nancy Linares, and most recently, Jorge Meza have been indirectly affected by Castaneda-Liles’ passion to help bring her community to a more religious education. For Socorro “Education with out faith is empty. And that faith without education enslaves us. We need both. We need to be people of faith, whichever faith.”