On Sept. 30, 2014, Northeastern Illinois University held the grand opening of its El Centro building in Chicago’s Avondale community. Designed by architect Juan Gabriel Moreno of JGMA, the building has since been lauded as one of “The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago” and widely praised by architecture aficionados.
Yet, behind the building’s floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows and blue and yellow vertical louvers, which not only serve as a homage to the University’s school colors but also provide shade and an acoustic barrier from the traffic on the 90/94 expressway, there is something truly special going on.
“Everyone is welcome at El Centro,” Interim Director of El Centro Rebeca Lamadrid-Quevedo said. “That’s not just something we say, it’s something that every employee here works to ensure, so that whoever comes into the building can feel they belong here.”
That feeling is undoubtedly linked to El Centro’s roots, which go as far back as the late 1960s, when a group of civically engaged Latinx Northeastern students proposed that the University establish an English as a Second Language (ESL) learning and study center. In 1975, Northeastern dedicated a satellite location, El Centro de Recursos Educativos (Center for Educational Services). As enrollment grew, the need to create a permanent home for El Centro became evident. Today, El Centro offers classes in Computer Science, Justice Studies, Social Work and Special Education, and also serves as a space for community organizations to connect with the University.
“Throughout its history, El Centro has provided students with the academic support they need to achieve their goals and collaborated with community-based organizations to help both the center and the University achieve its mission of creating an exceptional environment for learning, teaching and scholarship,” Lamadrid-Quevedo said. “From serving as a polling place for elections to hosting blood drives, recycling events and even the Cook County Sheriff’s Lightsaver Program earlier this year so people could get their broken or missing lights fixed on their cars, El Centro has been a place members of the community can count on for services and support.”
A series of events will be held throughout the academic year in recognition of El Centro’s milestone, celebrating a decade of service out of its Avondale building. Many of the events are ones people have come to expect at the Northeastern satellite location, and several will highlight the importance of this year.
“I’m really, really proud of the work the team at El Centro does to provide our students and the community with not just an education, but a sense of purpose,” Lamadrid-Quevedo said. “Northeastern has a history of serving populations of learners who require more flexibility in their schedules because they’re working, have family obligations or other commitments. The El Centro team has embraced that from the beginning. Because of that, we know that when people come here, even if it’s just for a little while to vote or study somewhere quiet, many want to come back.”
September events at El Centro include:
- Shredding and electronics recycling: Saturday, Sept. 21, 9:00-11:30 a.m.
- 4th Annual El Centro Taquiza: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 3:00-6:00 p.m.
- Blood drive in collaboration with Versiti Blood Center of Illinois and State Representative Jaime Andrade: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2:00-6:30 p.m.
- Dance Fiesta Fundraiser: Saturday, Sept. 28, noon-2:00 p.m.
- Tickets are $25 per person. Please RSVP.
More information about these and other events at El Centro can be found on their Upcoming Events web page, email elcentro@neiu.edu or call (773) 442-4080.
