About the HSI mini grant series
Each year, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion awards a variety of high-impact mini grants to campus projects that support Latino students through targeted initiatives. Last year, the office distributed $35,000 across 17 projects. This story is one of 11 Mustang News features highlighting where and how those grants made an impact.
A $2,000 Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) mini-grant is helping progress the Chicano SLO Archive at Cal Poly. The project, which dates back to 1989, creates a space to preserve and celebrate the histories and contributions of Chicano and Latino communities in San Luis Obispo.
Pedro Arroyo, founder and project lead of the Chicano SLO Archive, describes the project as a labor of love.
“Music, dance, food, story, those are all really important entry points to begin to learn about or understand other ways people participate and create culture, and how can we also examine that even further right beyond the celebrations, but really get to know communities, the opportunities, the struggles, how they’ve contributed in our society,” Arroyo said.
The archive intersects closely with Cal Poly’s Theater, Dance and History programs. Faculty from these departments use the collection to explore how performance, movement and storytelling reflect cultural identity and historical experience.
Through dance and theater projects, students engage with Chicano and Latino traditions in hands-on ways, connecting archival materials to creative expression.
For Sandra Sarrouf, a dance professor, the archive serves as more than a repository; it’s a teaching tool.
“I’ve seen students engage deeply with these materials, discovering how communities maintain traditions even in non-native contexts,” Sarrouf said. “It provides them with both mirrors, seeing themselves reflected in the curriculum, and windows into the lives of others.”
A new exhibition produced by the archive, titled “Who We Are and How We Show Up,” is currently on display in Kennedy Library, brings together materials that highlight the lived experiences of Chicano students at Cal Poly.
The exhibition features photographs, personal writings and publications spanning decades, including pieces from the 1990s such as Culture Line Magazine, a student publication honoring the experiences of students of color.
Mia Lawrence, a history graduate student, interned with the archive and spearheaded the curation of the exhibition.
The primary purpose of the HSI mini-grant was to assist Lawrence in the digitizing and cataloging of materials for the archive, a process that for her, has proven to be entirely worth it.
“This exhibit gives a sense of continuity showing how students have always been shaping campus life and demanding space for themselves,” Lawrence said. “It’s a chance to celebrate history while acknowledging the ongoing challenges the community faces.”
Lawrence recalled that while observing visitors at the exhibition one student expressed their admiration without realizing she was the curator.
“I was just loitering around, not planning to reveal that I curated it,” said Lawrence. “After I mentioned it, the student thanked me before walking away, and that moment, that appreciation, was the best feeling I could’ve asked for.”
Beyond the classroom, the archive has created opportunities for collaboration across Cal Poly departments. Lawrence has worked closely with Special Collections, which preserves unique materials that document the university’s history. The collaboration is due hopes of integrating the Chicano SLO Archive more formally and frequently into university exhibitions.
Lawrence hopes future exhibitions continue to engage diverse student curators and participants.
“Not all history comes neatly packaged, and it shouldn’t have to. It’s our job to make it accessible,” Lawrence said.
The Chicano SLO Archive demonstrates how small grants can support the preservation of cultural history, and increase access to historical resources.