Source: DiversityPreparedness.org, “Coming Out Of The Dark: Emergency Preparedness Plan for Farmworker Communities in San Diego County” by Konane M. Martinez; Anna Hoff; Arcela Núñez-Alvarez, 2009.

Pamela Eibeck, president of University of the Pacific, was the keynote speaker at the 10th annual Latina Luncheon on Thursday at Hilton Stockton. She spoke of new UOP programs aimed at improving community ties. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record

STOCKTON [CA] – University of the Pacific President Pamela Eibeck told the story of a Latina student who emigrated from Mexico with her husband when she was just a teenager.

The woman’s husband was a farm worker, but she had bigger aspirations. She worked her way from San Joaquin Delta College to University of the Pacific, balancing her household and her studies. She even returned to school with all assignments completed just two days after giving birth to her third child.

That student demonstrated the power of women – the power of a mother, Eibeck said Thursday in her keynote address at the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 10th annual Latina Luncheon.

Today, Eibeck said, that woman is a teacher at Cesar Chavez High School. “Never underestimate a determined Latina,” Eibeck said.

Her message went hand in hand with the luncheon theme, “Empowering Latinas in our Communities,” and she also took the opportunity to give an update on programs under way at Pacific.

More than 270 people attended the event, which featured workshops in health and wellness in the workplace, the basics of building business credit and rethinking the wireless world.

“This is a celebration of the achievements of women,” said Jonise Oliva, president of the Hispanic chamber.

Eibeck offered a glimpse into programs developing at Pacific intended to benefit the community. An educated work force, she said, is a key component to enhancing the economy.

Shortly after joining Pacific in the fall of 2009, Eibeck launched her “Beyond Our Gates” public forum series to learn how the university could best help address regional concerns.

At the conclusion, she announced a series of steps the university plans to take, and she shared those once again at the luncheon.

Eibeck said Pacific has established a local vendor program in which the university will give preference to area purveyors, but they have to be comparable with outside bidders.

Pacific also has decreased tuition by 36 percent for adult students who attend the university’s Center for Professional and Continuing Education. The Community Involvement Program, a scholarship program for local students, has increased its number of students, she said.

Pacific’s Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship developed a micro-finance fund to lend up to $5,000 to local entrepreneurs.

Pacific also has partnered with local organizations on launching three summer academies – one centered on mathematics, another in technology and another in music.

And a multiyear engagement program, the Tomorrow Project, will provide supplemental education during summer, after school and weekends.

“We’re not just talking the talk,” she said. “We’re walking the walk.”

Contact reporter Jennie Rodriguez at (209) 943-8564 or jrodriguez@recordnet.com.

Read more at: RecordNet.com, “Eibeck lays out Latina gains” by Jennie Rodriguez, Record Staff Writer, 18 Mar 2011.