Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Juntos We Make History was a night to remember. More than 150 ACC students, faculty, staff, and Ascender alumni gathered together to celebrate Ascender’s 10th anniversary and the Latin American Cultural Center’s 30th anniversary at the Highland Campus on September 12, 2025.
Opening remarks highlighted the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month and the achievements made throughout the decades, delivered by Alejandra Polcik, manager of the Ascender program, and Dr. Gary Moreno, the director of the Latin American Cultural Center, El Centro.
Guests enjoyed antojitos (food and drinks), networking, playing Lotería, dancing to music from a live DJ, and painting cantaritos (clay jars) to take home, thanks to the amazing student volunteers who came together that evening to help the event run smoothly.
Attendees also had the chance to win free prizes valued at over $700, generously sponsored by partner companies including Milk + Honey Spa, Antonelli’s Cheese, Cabo Bob’s, Pluckers, and many more.
To close the event, Diana Gorostieta Martinez, ASCENDER coordinator and an alumna of the program, announced that ACC will sponsor 10 currently enrolled students who have completed the ASCENDER program to attend the 39th Annual Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Conference, taking place November 1–3 in Aurora, Colorado
“Through cultural events like this, the ASCENDER program continues to demonstrate the power of education to transform lives, inspire change, and strengthen communities,” says Polcik.
For more information, visit austincc.edu/ascender.