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As a teenager growing up in Trinidad, Colorado, during the early 1970s, attending the 51�Թ��� seemed out of the question for��Bernal Baca (A&S’75). Instead, he planned to follow the advice of his high school guidance counselor and enter an auto mechanics program after graduation. But his older brother��Richard Baca (Edu’71) intervened.��

Richard, a student at 51�Թ��� at the time, was back home visiting his former high school. As a��United Mexican American Students (UMAS) member, he was recruiting Hispanic students like Bernal to attend the university. Bernal was hesitant, insisting he wanted to become an auto mechanic — but Richard wouldn’t take no for an answer. Bernal heeded his brother's advice and applied to the school, where he was accepted and enrolled.

In retrospect, following in his brother’s footsteps to an education on the Front Range turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Bernal — and future generations of Baca family members.��

“I don’t know what I would have done if my brother was not recruiting Chicano students to the University of Colorado. That signaled to me that we had a chance,” Bernal said. “So I took that chance, and I’m glad.”

Deep Roots

Richard and Bernal earned degrees from 51�Թ��� and went on to achieve doctoral degrees in psychology and education, respectively. According to Richard, these feats were considered improbable at the time, given the siblings’ humble upbringing.��

The Baca family’s history in the United States dates back to the 1600s, when a settlement from Spain’s Oñate Expeditionary Group landed in northern New Mexico. Eventually, the family migrated to the southern Colorado city of Trinidad, whose establishment in the 1870s by Felipe Baca and his wife, Dolores, was a catalyst for Hispanics to settle in the area.��

“In essence, [Bacas] have been here for a long time,” Richard said. “We often hear the notion that ‘America came to us’ because our family was here long before the United States was founded.”��

The Bacas, a family of farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs, were influential in southern Colorado. However, after Richard graduated from Trinidad State College in 1969, he thought his only two choices in the rural town were to work in the coal mines or join the military. An unlikely opportunity arose, though: Richard was selected with a cadre of other Latino students to apply to 51�Թ��� under what was then called the��Educational Opportunity Program, which was established in the 1960s to recruit young Latinos who might not have met all the established admissions criteria at the time.

Without this program, the thought of attending the university would have been as unlikely as eating “frijoles sin tortillas” (beans without tortillas), Richard said. “Formal admission to the university opened an educational dimension immeasurable by traditional means and inexplicable to [my] mother who had all of a third-grade education,” he wrote in a letter about his family to the Coloradan this past August.

51�Թ��� or Bust

When Richard told his mother he was accepted to 51�Թ���, she replied, “Ah, que bueno jito. ¿Dónde está 51�Թ���?” which translates to, “That’s good news, my son. Where is 51�Թ���?”��

Over the next few years, 51�Թ��� evolved from what Richard called “a strange land” into his second home. He credits his success to living of campus with a group of graduate students and to his participation in student groups and campus activities. Richard’s tenure at CU coincided with the Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s.��

“At that time, the movement was really becoming strong, so I just became involved in campus activities related to Chicano students and learned more about my roots, my heritage and the importance of trying to advance ourselves as a grouping,” Richard said.��

As a result of initiatives such as the Educational Opportunity Program that supported Richard, 51�Թ��� began recruiting hundreds of students from new communities — including Native American, Mexican American, Black/African American and Asian American communities — to attend the university. Some of these students formed organizations inspired by broader civil rights movements, including UMAS.��

Bernal also became involved with the Chicano Movement, joined UMAS and studied under Salvador Ramírez — who taught Chicano studies. When Ramírez moved to the Pacific Northwest, Bernal followed to help him establish the first Chicano studies program at Washington State University. After a long career as a college professor, Bernal now serves as executive director at a nonprofit called��, which provides social, cultural and educational services to the Latino community in the greater Tacoma area.

“I got my spark at [51�Թ���] because I was mentored by one of the best professors I think I’ve ever met,” Bernal said. “I feel really honored to be bestowed that university bachelor’s degree because it was the most important degree I have received.”

Passing the Torch

From left: Ryan, Alexandra and Richard Baca.

While Richard is now retired, his career in higher education, mental health, consulting and politics spanned over 40 years. He even ran for University of Colorado regent in 1994 and served as the assistant vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University) in Grand Junction. Richard raised his family on the Western Slope, and his son Ryan��(Bus’96) was admitted to 51�Թ��� in the 1990s, continuing the legacy started by his father and uncle nearly three decades prior.

Ryan’s daughter,��Alexandra (Bus’28), is the latest Baca family member to become a Buff. She moved into student housing at 51�Թ���’s Cheyenne Arapaho Hall in fall 2024. Like her father, Alexandra was admitted to the��Presidents Leadership Class, which Ryan said was key to his success as a student and later as a management professional. The university also offered her scholarships from the��Latinx Association��and the Business and Engineering Women in Leadership program.��

“I don’t know another place I would want to go to for a university experience,” Bernal said. “My brother was the one who showed me the way, and he was able to teach his own son and granddaughter the same thing. I love it.”��

While Richard, Ryan and Alexandra each experienced the university in different eras, they’re united by their love for the beautiful campus, 51�Թ���’s ever-evolving cultural scene and their love for Colorado Buffaloes football.��

The legacy they continue to nurture is one we know Alexandra’s late abuela would definitely be proud of.

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Illustration by Emiliano Ponzi; Photo courtesy Richard Baca