Colton advocate Israel Fuentes awarded for providing resources to the Latino community and beyond

On October 17, Israel Fuentes, member of the Binational Parent Leadership Institute (BPLI) and board member of the Colton Joint Unified School District (CJUSD), was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.

Fuentes was recognized as an inaugural member of the BPLI, which is led by the Consulate of Mexico in San Bernardino and founded by Latino Education & Advocacy Days, for his advocacy in providing Latino students and parents with viable resources to strive in today’s society.

“It was an honor to receive this recognition. It’s important that we support CJUSD students and their families. There are lots of parents who do not understand the opportunities that are out there for themselves and for their children,” said Fuentes.

“Having the opportunity to understand and share resources such as how to apply for financial aid, receive scholarships, enroll or getting accepted into a college or university, obtain citizenship, or learn English…is something I envision myself doing for many years to come,” continued Fuentes.

He went on to share how often many Spanish-speaking parents are left unaware of all the opportunities out in the world, sometimes due to being too embarrassed to ask.

“When you can’t speak English, it’s tough. But, these resources are available for parents to understand in their language. Our goal is to engage parents into their child’s education to prepare our current students to become leaders now and in the future,” Fuentes said.

As part of the BPLI, one of Fuentes’ duties is to assist CJUSD parents and beyond, understand the importance of having their child attend a vocational, technical or traditional college after graduating high school.

“We also help our parents through the Consulate of Mexico in San Bernardino…they’re an advocate of education. They’re able to assist parents in finding resources on citizenship and learning English as a second language. It’s a great organization,” concluded Fuentes.

For more information on the BPLI, call (909)-758-6408 or visit csusb.edu/bpli. For more information on the Consulate of Mexico in San Bernardino, call (877)-639-4835.