LEAD stands for Latina/o Empowerment at De Anza. Students who wanted to know more about their history, culture and communities created the program in 2005.

WHO

  • group of studentsThe program and the club are open to all students, regardless of ethnic background, who are interested in social justice, community service, and creating a supportive familia at De Anza. 
  • The LEAD Chicana/o Literature and Women in Literature classes are open to all students as well. We recommend that students take EWRT1A before enrolling in these courses.

  • Students can enroll at any point in the EWRT sequence, depending on their placement or completion of required prerequisite classes.

WHAT

  • Students in LEAD classes read and write about Latina/o culture, history, literature and social issues. 
  • All LEAD classes incorporate integrated service learning projects. For instance, in the winter, students in the LEAD EWRT1A class study issues of immigration and then contribute to an interactive resource fair addressing the issues of immigration. In the spring they may teach English to migrant workers, or create workshops on undocumented student rights.

WHEN

LEAD classes are offered year round, and students are welcome to join at any point.

Some classes include:

  • EWRT211  A Reading and Writing class that pair new students at De Anza with experienced student mentors
  • EWRT1A  a composition class where we look at issues of immigration and assimilation
  • EWRT1B focusing on Latina/o literature and culture
  • EWRT 2 (Winter)  – A critical thinking class that looks at the history of Latina/o education
  • ELIT21/WMST21 – a Literature class that looks at women writers from Chicana and Latina cultures
  • CHIC35/ICS35 – an online Chicana/o Literature course

We also have classes in the following subjects: Women's Studies | Linguistics | Economics | Chicano Studies | English| Political Science | Environmental studies

For a more detailed list of classes offered please see our current class list here

WHERE

  • Chesa Caparas is the LEAD Program Coordinator; her office is located in F-21B.
  • The LEAD club meets on Thursdays at 12:30 and the location is usually in the Multicultural Center (MCC). You can check with Clubs website for more information on the club meeting location.

WHY

Students say the best things about being part of LEAD are:

  • Friendships they create with their familias
  • Opportunities they have to give back to their communities
  • Experience they get in working for social justice
  • Ability to apply what they learn in class to real world problems

HOW

To sign up for LEAD classes, be sure to check the notes for EWRT classes in the online schedule and look for the LEAD label. To join the LEAD club, just come to a weekly meeting. 

For more information, please contact your counselor or Chesa Caparas:

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