AU’s Center for Community Engagement and Service (CCES) and DC’s Latin American Youth Center Career Academy (LAYCCA) Public Charter School already knew their partnership was making a difference. Now they have the hardware to prove it.

On November 30, CCES and LAYCCA received the Transform Mid-Atlantic’s 2023 Transformational Partnership Award. Each year, the nonprofit—which boasts 40 member institutions in DC, Maryland, and Delaware—honors one outstanding campus-community collaboration that produces measurable impact among both students and the greater community.

CCES and LAYCCA have worked together since spring 2022 to stand up nine different programs at the tuition-free charter school, which serves students from ages 16 to 24—many of them immigrants from Central America—in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Programmatic offerings include immigration support, mentorship opportunities, and professional development and mock job interviews.

“AU is committed to strengthening our connection to DC and to community organizations like LAYCCA, which is empowering the next generation of Washingtonians,” said Seth Grossman, vice president of administration and chief administrative officer. “This important engagement with our neighbors and community partners is fundamental to AU’s mission.”

LAYCCA principal Jacqueline Fernandez said the collaboration—which underscores AU’s commitment to Working with Washington, one of the university’s strategic imperatives—has helped inspire dreams of going to college in her students.

“The partnership [with] American University has been a tremendous blessing because we’ve been able to bring into the career academy different services we didn’t have before,” Fernandez said. “One that stands out to me is the immigration consultation for our students who have newly arrived to this country and who need a lot of support.”

Fernandez accepted the honor alongside CCES director Marcy Campos during a ceremony at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

“These relationships are part of AU’s identity,” said Campos, whose office manages 300 community partnerships. “Getting an award for it is one way of solidifying our commitment to the city where our students go to school.”