Covid-19 has had devastating effects on Latino students, from their mental health, income, employment disparities, and higher dropout rates. Many Latino families are susceptible to the Coronavirus infection, since many cannot afford to stay at home, risking their health and well-being for the sake of a living-wage and providing for the family. Recognizing this ongoing crisis, Catch the Next has designed a resource manual to give Latino college students links and immediate access to emergency relief and campus financial resources, including counseling and mental health resources.

On January 8, Catch the Next had the opportunity to sit front and center with Univision 45-Houston KXLN-TV. In this televised segment, Doctors Maria Martha Chavez, Dan Rodriguez, Yolanda Reyna, and Rogelio Saenz sat down with Karina Yapor, via Zoom, and elaborated on the importance of the CTN Manual toolkit during this critical pandemic. 

“We recognized that many of our Latino students have been greatly impacted by the Covid-19 virus,” Dr. Chavez said. “Not only have they struggled with their family’s health, but also with the need to attend jobs in this environment. Many students lack access to technology and help for their family at home. We decided to ask for help from our colleagues, PAC instructors and CTN fellows, Dr. Dan Rodriguez and Dr. Yolanda Reyna who collected all the campus resources available to aid our students in this situation,” Dr. Chavez explained.
In answer to Yapor’s question, “What can students find in this manual?” Dan Rodriguez replied, “We focused on 4 areas. First, financial aid to help with tuition costs. Second, counseling services to aid with mental health. Third, community resources such as finding technology and internet services. Finally, we looked to also providing students with access to basic everyday needs such as toiletries.”