The ASPIRA Association is the only national Hispanic organization dedicated exclusively to developing Hispanic youth’s educational and leadership capacity. Since being founded in 1961 by Dr. Antonia Pantoja, ASPIRA has been working at the grassroots level to provide programs that encourage Hispanic students to stay in school, prepare them to succeed in the educational arena, develop their leadership skills, and serve their community. ASPIRA now has associations in several states, DE, CT, FL, IL, MA, NC, NJ, NY, PA, SC and Puerto Rico. It has a national presence through its partnerships and serves thousands of students each year through its ASPIRA Clubs and guidance programs, as well as charter schools in Chicago, Philadelphia and Newark, Delaware.
ASPIRA Delaware started as a dream project of Dr. Jaime “Gus” Rivera, a pediatrician who was part of ASPIRA NYC. He shared his plan to open an ASPIRA charter school with a group later called “Friends of ASPIRA”. While this herculean effort was underway, ASPIRA DE began implementing school programs to support Hispanic youth. ASPIRA volunteers started a program to mentor Hispanic high school seniors. The ASPIRA Saturday Academy Program (ASAP) was designed to help Hispanic high school seniors, and their families, navigate through the college application process. Saturday workshops were hosted at DelTech (DTCC) and UD. Volunteers made themselves available every Saturday throughout the fall to ensure the students met college application deadlines. The workshop topics included essay writing, FAFSA completion, time management, notetaking skills, and parent information sessions. Volunteers consisted primarily of Hispanic professionals that donated their time and talent to the support students: these are a few key leaders: Margie Rivera, Lourdes Puig, Dr. Jari Santana Wyn, Sheila Perez, Jaime & Carmen Rivera, Laura Garcia Davenport, Celia Diaz, Omaira Melendez Nesbitt, Yessenia Rivera-Sipes, Aida Waserstein, Andres Centellas, Wanda López, and Margie López Waite who became the ASPIRA Delaware CEO.
Another goal was to create a safe space for Hispanic students with the purpose of increasing high school graduation rates and promoting higher education, while building leadership skills. By 2009, ASPIRA Clubs had established nine Delaware high schools as youth leadership development afterschool programs. The clubs served as a vehicle for the development of democratic principles. The program was always inclusive, bilingual and targeted Hispanic students who traditionally were underserved. It also provided students the opportunity to learn to take responsibility for themselves, develop a sense of autonomy, and develop the motivation and desire in each participant to achieve their dreams. Students in the leadership development program engage in the ASPIRA Process that involves three concepts: Awareness, Analysis, and Action.
In 2009, the charter was approved and the school opened its doors in 2011, with 303 students grades K-5, growing into a K-8 school adding one grade each year. For five years our ASPIRA 8th graders went on to continue their educational journey in other high schools. Finally, at the request of many parents, ASPIRA began exploring spaces for a high school campus. Not even a worldwide pandemic could stop us from realizing our goal, ASPIRA Charter High School (ACHS) opened in 2020 and offered hybrid classes. ASPIRA now serves 1,400+ students across two campuses: Grades K-8 @ 326 Ruthar Drive, Newark, DE 19711 and Grades 9th – 12th @ 750 Otts Chapel Rd. Newark, DE 19713. Call today to enroll your student and join the ASPIRA Familia, 302.355.2300, Aspira
The August 23rd ribbon cutting ceremony celebrates the finalization of a 2-year construction project to renovate the former Gore building into a high school campus. A $3 million dollar expansion campaign is nearing completion with some finishing touches and athletic fields in progress. Learn more here: HYPERLINK “https://aspiraacademy.org/expansion-campaign/”https://aspiraacademy.org/expansion-campaign/. ACHS has a capacity for 500 students, and offers seven career pathways: Arts, Business and Information Management, Computer Science, Global Leadership, K-12 Teacher Academy, Math and Science, and Public and Community Health. In June 2024, we will proudly graduate our first ASPIRA senior class!
ONCE AN ASPIRANTE, ALWAYS AN ASPIRANTE. Call to Action: ASPIRA Needs You! We want to reconnect with all our ASPIRA alumni (local, national, and international). Please contact us if you were a member of a Delaware ASPIRA Club, participant of ASAP or if you are a national ASPIRANTE now living in Delaware. Email: Wanda.Lopez@laaa.k12.de.us\ and follow us
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Foto and article: Courtesy of Wanda López
