MILWAUKEE — The Black and Latino/a Ecosystem and Support Transition (BLEST) Hub at Marquette University has released its 2025 “State of the Ecosystem Report.” The fifth ecosystem report from BLEST highlights the hub’s commitment to creating new avenues to improving life outcomes for Black and Latino/a students in the Milwaukee area by strengthening spaces, initiatives, and connections that support our youth during periods of transition from middle school through post-secondary completion and/or fulfilling and stable employment.
Housed in Marquette’s Center for Urban Research, Teaching and Outreach (CURTO), the BLEST Hub began in 2019 as a collaboration among major educational institutions in Milwaukee, including Marquette, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Milwaukee Public Schools.
The State of the Ecosystem report for 2025 expresses optimism in the expanding resources for Black and Latino/a students in the Milwaukee area, while also reflecting on existing complications. From the report’s executive summary:
The past year has been an exciting one for centering youth voice in Milwaukee and its educational ecosystem, even as various changes continue. Milwaukee Succeeds’ Autonomous Youth Council has really become an established force, the Milwaukee Public Schools’ board has been discussing youth representatives, the Common Council started an Emerging Youth Achievement Advisory Committee, and the BLEST Hub completed a Latine Youth Achievement Report in collaboration with Data You Can Use.
The year has also been a complicated one. Nationally, political dynamics have pushed back on support for these underserved and historically marginalized groups. The histories and recent dynamics matter: nationwide, only 36% of Black youth and 33% of Latino/a youth between 18 and 22 were enrolled in college. More locally, news reports were filled with stories about low standardized test scores, structural issues like lead in schools, and other dynamics like artificial intelligence, which further undermine the perceived value of education.
The BLEST Hub’s aim in this work is to better harness the strengths that exist in the ecosystem through collaboration, synergy and better understandings of the entire landscape. Among his past year’s initiatives were:
- Completing a Latine Youth Achievement Report in collaboration with Data You Can Use
- Supporting the creation of the Emerging Youth Achievement Advisory Council in the City Council and consulting on its research efforts
- Bridging the transition of Milwaukee’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative to being led by the Great Lakes Urban Empowerment
- Joining policy development conversations related to dual enrollment
- Maintaining the map and database of report s on the Milwaukee ecosystem
Dr. Gabriel Velez, associate professor of educational policy and leadership and faculty director of the BLEST Hub, co-led the preparation of the report with Ph.D. student and freelance reporter Ali Shana and undergraduate researcher Tailus Rush.
The BLEST Hub’s vision is to contribute to improving life outcomes for Black and Latino/a students in the Milwaukee area by building understandings of and reinforcing supports for these students during periods of transition from middle school through postsecondary completion and/or fulfilling and stable employment. This encompasses identifying gaps in services offered and working towards amplifying and supplementing what is available.
CURTO positions itself as an intellectual axis and key convener of programs that address issues central to affirming human rights and human dignity. In alignment with Marquette’s mission to search for truth and the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the center facilitates collaborations that bring together a wide array of community and campus experts.
About Marquette University
Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools. Through the formation of hearts and minds, Marquette prepares our 11,100 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional students to lead, excel and serve as agents of positive change. And, we deliver results. Ranked in the top 20% of national universities, Marquette is recognized for its undergraduate teaching, innovation and career preparation as the sixth-best university in the country for job placement. Our focus on student success and immersive, personalized learning experiences encourages students to think critically and engage with the world around them. When students graduate with a Marquette degree, they are truly prepared and called to Be The Difference.
