News

Transforming Lives at La Paz: Celebration of Renovation Progress, Public-Private Partnership during Hispanic Heritage Month

Oct. 11 celebration features impacted teens, National Park Service Director The Farmworkers Institute of Education & Leadership Development (FIELD) is pleased to highlight their ongoing progress – and the dozens of lives they are transforming along the way — on the $390,000 rehabilitation project at the Cesar Chavez National Monument. The project is funded by…
Read More Transforming Lives at La Paz: Celebration of Renovation Progress, Public-Private Partnership during Hispanic Heritage Month

Humble Life was Spent Fighting for Equality & Respect with Farm Worker Movement

Lupe Murguia escaped his impoverished village in the Mexican state of Jalisco in 1952 to journey north as a bracero farm laborer only to discover humiliation and injustice in California agriculture. It sparked a struggle to be recognized as an equal and as a person deserving of respect and value. He devoted a lifetime seeking…
Read More Humble Life was Spent Fighting for Equality & Respect with Farm Worker Movement

FIELD Celebrates 32% Increased Enrollment in EPIC Adult High School Program

Students Respond Positively To Flexible Class Schedules; Current FIELD Leadership Prepares For November WASC Committee Visit Farmworkers Institute of Education and Leadership Development (FIELD) is pleased to report a 32% increase in its EPIC Adult High School enrollment this year, with over 720 students currently enrolled. EPIC Adult High School has graduated over 1,500 students,…
Read More FIELD Celebrates 32% Increased Enrollment in EPIC Adult High School Program

FIELD Board Sets the Record Straight on Recent Public Misinformation About Its Adult High School Program  

WASC Accreditation at Risk Since 2022, Violations Not Addressed  Aug. 27, 2024 – In response to recent public misinformation about its adult charter high school program, EPIC (Escuela Popular Instituto Campesino), the FIELD Board of Directors announced it has been investigating concerns about its WASC accreditation being at risk due to long-standing violations in the…
Read More FIELD Board Sets the Record Straight on Recent Public Misinformation About Its Adult High School Program  

Making Life Better Through Education

Get Your High School Diploma Through FIELD’s EPIC Adult High School It’s been a few months since I’ve stepped into the leadership role at FIELD and I can’t tell you how honored I was to preside over some of this year’s graduations. Our students’ stories are so inspiritng – from the mother of five who never thought a high school diploma was possible, to…
Read More Making Life Better Through Education

Meet Beti Tapia, Student Services Manager 

Raised just outside Bakersfield in the small agricultural town of Wasco, Beti Tapia was familiar with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers as a child. The mother of two adult children now works as FIELD’s Student Services Manager, overseeing the nonprofit’s education services, such as the adult high school diploma and ESL programs.  Beti…
Read More Meet Beti Tapia, Student Services Manager 

Nearly 160 EPIC High School Graduates Celebrate Milestone Accomplishments, Triumphs  

By Stephen Lynch and Sahid Fawaz  Photos courtesy of students and their families  You could feel the excitement in the air as some 160 EPIC de Cesar Chavez High School adults celebrated at graduation ceremonies around the state, capping off years of hard work, grueling schedules, and good old-fashioned grit in honor of their huge…
Read More Nearly 160 EPIC High School Graduates Celebrate Milestone Accomplishments, Triumphs  

Exploring Worker Co-ops from the Masters at Mondragon

Mondragon is one of the world’s best-known worker-owned co-ops. Started by five engineers committed to empowering their workers, the Mondragon experiment now boasts 80,000 workers across 240 businesses and 110 cooperatives working in a profitable and democratic environment created by and for the workers in a collective enterprise.  Recently President & CEO David Villarino and a key…
Read More Exploring Worker Co-ops from the Masters at Mondragon