For the past two decades, the Mexican Consulate of Raleigh, located about four miles east of campus, south of downtown on Raleigh View Road, has provided a service called the “Window to Health,” where they offer bilingual healthcare information and resources for anyone who visits their space. The Consulate has provided services to Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, both living in the United States and in Mexico, along with serving any person that needs help or guidance.

This year, the Consulate embarked on the next step, assisting patrons with a new “Window to Education” (translated from Ventanilla de Orientación Educativa).

On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, the Ventanilla de Orientación Educativa held its official kick-off event and ribbon-cutting ceremony. NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson, Consul General Remedios Gomez Arnau, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, Deputy Chief Secretary Reid Wilson (Department of Natural and Cultural Resources) and NC State Director of Multicultural Student Affairs Nashia Whittenburg gave remarks on the importance of this new partnership in advancing education information and attainment across the Carolinas.

NC State employs two student coordinators who will manage day-to-day interactions with participants. Marcela Torres-Cervantes, assistant director of community outreach and engagement within Multicultural Student Affairs, will supervise the student coordinators and oversee NC State’s response in meeting community needs through the Ventanilla de Orientación Educativa.

“The fact that the Ventanilla is offering bilingual information in English and Spanish is of the utmost importance, because we need to make parents part of the effort to ‘incentovate’ that their children go to higher education and help the whole family navigate through the educational system.”

– Consul General Remedios Gomez Arnau