Distinguished Alumnus: Alumni Award Recipient Michael Miera reconnects Latino youth to the community

While working for Metro State in 1991, alumnus Michael Miera (’80, bilingual Chicano studies) recognized the community needed a method of reconnecting Latino/a youth. So, he and other activists founded LaRaza Youth Leadership Program, which holds conferences and now hosts more than 1,500 Latino/a youth participants each year. The focus of the program is to teach youth about their history, their communities and how they can make an impact in the world.

Not long after, he helped launch the Excel Program, which sends current Metro State student ambassadors into high schools with a high percentage of students of color. Ambassadors work with the prospective high school students to assist them with the application process and eventually with the transition from high school to college.

After leaving Metro State, Miera continued working for change as a Community Development Representative of the City and County of Denver for Housing and Neighborhood Development. He works with the Brownfields Redevelopment division. Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or perceived presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

He lives with his wife, Veronica, who has worked for Metro State since 1976, and he is an accomplished Latin dancer. You might also occasionally see him in an El Centro Su Teatro performance, as he is an ardent supporter of that community theater. In addition to receiving this year’s Distinguished Alumnus award, Miera received the Spirit of Tlatelolco Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for his work with the Chicano Movement.

Tri-Institutional Event and March Celebrate Cesar Chavez. Metro student and professor recognized for efforts in Latino community

Today, Cesar Chavez would have been 83 today had he not died. In celebration of his birthday, a tri-institutional day-long event was organized. There was a breakfast, luncheon, keynote speakers, and a march across campus (photos and video of which are on our Alumni & Friends Facebook Fan page). As well, Metro State student Anayelia Gonzalez was recognized for her active engagement with the Latino community, including her involvement with La Raza Youth Leadership Institute. The plaque she was given was designed by Emanuel Martinez, a national artist residing in Denver. As well, El Centro Su Teatro, headed by Artistic and Executive Director and part-time Chicano Studies Professor Tony Garcia, was honored.

According to Dr. Ramon Del Castillo, the Chair of the Chicana and Chicano Studies, “The march is symbolic of what Cesar Chavez did. He marched for social justice. He believed in sacrifice and giving to people and the community.” The tri-institutional event, he added, was a youth leadership development event that “embodied the work that Chavez did for four decades.”