Media Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler, carmen.chandler@csun.edu, (818) 677-2130
California State University, Northridge convened national leaders across philanthropy, technology, education and entertainment to launch a bold initiative to equip Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) learners to lead and prosper in an AI-driven economy.
The new initiative builds on CSUN’s Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub bringing together SUMA Wealth and Super{Power}, along with a national network of HSIs, industry partners, and cultural leaders to advance scalable pathways to economic mobility for the next generation.
Today’s convening featured a headline conversation with California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, alongside Beatriz Acevedo, co-founder and CEO of SUMA Wealth. CSUN President Erika D. Beck moderated the discussion, which explored how culture, capital and emerging technologies can unlock new opportunities for HSI learners, including Latino students, to build wealth, launch ventures, and shape the future economy.
“CSUN’s Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub was built to do exactly this — to convene the partners, resources and vision needed to ensure that HSI Learners are not just entering the AI economy, but positioned to lead it,” said Beck. “Through our partnerships with Apple, SUMA Wealth and Super{Power}, we are reimagining what it means to prepare the next generation with the skills, tools and confidence to thrive in an AI-powered world and to build real and lasting wealth.”
Underscoring the urgency of this moment, California’s First Partner pointed to partnership and community connection as essential drivers of lasting economic mobility.
“Building lasting economic mobility, especially for kids and women, amidst a constantly shifting economy starts with strong partnership and community connection,” said Newsom. “Through our California Love, California Strong initiative, we are taking a holistic approach to strengthening California communities and connecting them to critical resources for success, from building wealth on day one through CalKIDS to ensuring HSI learners have the tools they need to prepare for and thrive in today’s economy.”
A National Effort Anchored in Innovation and Opportunity
The initiative will begin in California, with the potential to scale across more than 500 HSIs nationwide. The effort is designed to reach more than 20,000 students over the next two years. Programming will be open to all participating students.
At its core, the initiative integrates:
- AI fluency and digital skills development
- Financial capability and wealth-building pathways
- Entrepreneurship and side-hustle incubation
- Culturally rooted storytelling and creative technology
Together, these elements are designed to equip students not only for employment — but for ownership, innovation and long-term financial prosperity.
“Financial literacy is foundational — but in today’s world, it must be paired with access to technology, capital, and opportunity,” said Acevedo. “Through SUMA, we are integrating AI-powered coaching with culturally relevant financial guidance to help young people build real-world skills, make informed decisions, and create pathways to long-term wealth. This is about preparing a generation not just to participate in the economy, but to lead and shape it.”
During the convening, CSUN’s Global Equity Innovation Hub and its partners unveiled a suite of new national programs, including:
- Side Hustle Bootcamp (What’s Your Side Hustle) — developed in partnership with SUMA Wealth, equipping students with the tools to launch income-generating ventures
- Culture is Currency Challenge — a first-of-its-kind national challenge connecting cultural expression with entrepreneurship and economic opportunity
- Virtual Immersive Platform (VIP) — a new digital experience designed to connect students, educators, and partners across the national HSI innovation ecosystem
“These initiatives reflect the power of an HSI innovation ecosystem working at scale — transforming cultural innovation into economic empowerment,” said Amanda Quintero, equity innovation officer for the Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub. “We’re equipping HSI learners with AI and technology tools to build wealth, launch ventures, and reshape a future economy that includes them.”
These national programs will be supported by a growing coalition of partners, including Apogee Electronics and Apple, a founding partner of CSUN’s Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub. Apple’s technology ecosystem and learning platforms will play a central role in advancing innovation across participating institutions.
Call to Lead in the AI Economy
Speakers throughout the day emphasized the importance of moving from a reactive posture to a proactive one — designing culturally relevant systems that enable students to thrive, build wealth, and lead in the evolving economy.
“This is a moment to play offense, reimagine what’s possible for the next generation, and open new doors into a fast evolving AI-driven economy,” said Jacqueline Martinez Garcel, co-founder of Super{Power}. “At Super{Power}, we bring together storytelling, AI and entrepreneurship so young people can create, own what they make and turn their ideas into lasting economic opportunity.”
With HSIs enrolling nearly two-thirds of all Latino students — more than 1.5 million students — leaders underscored the urgency — and potential — of investing in scalable culturally relevant models that expand access to high-growth sectors and pathways to economic mobility.
_______________________
About California State University, Northridge:
One of the largest universities in the country, California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is an urban, comprehensive university that delivers award-winning undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 36,000 students annually and counts over 430,000 alumni who fuel the region’s economy. Since its founding in 1958, CSUN has made a significant and long-term economic impact on California, generating nearly $1.9 billion and nearly 12,000 jobs each year. CSUN is a Hispanic Serving Institution, ranking amongst the top twenty in the nation in graduating Latinx students. More than 70 percent of CSUN students are first-generation college students, and 60 percent come from historically underrepresented groups. Money magazine consistently ranks CSUN among the nation’s “most transformative” colleges for setting students on the path to higher career earnings.
About CSUN’s Global Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Equity Innovation Hub:
Its vision is bold — empower students today to create a ripple effect for generations to come. At CSUN’s Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub, it seeks to activate the brilliance of its students and prepare them as the innovators and creators of the future. It’s not just nurturing the next generation of leaders and innovators; it’s transforming entire family trees. Its leadership believes in authentically serving their students and community, disrupting inter-generational inequity and, most importantly, a more diverse and inclusive future workforce in STEAM, where everyone belongs. To learn more, visit www.hsiequityinnovationhub.org
About SUMA:
SUMA is a Fintech company reimagining how the next generation builds wealth. The platform delivers AI-powered financial coaching with personalized, real-time guidance to help users take control of their financial future. Built for the fastest-growing demographics in the U.S., SUMA combines smart finance with culturally intelligent agents to unlock new pathways to long-term wealth.
About Super{Power}:
Super{Power} is a social impact organization where storytelling expands belonging. It exists to expand who gets to create, influence and benefit from the creative and digital economy. Super{Power} equips young people with the tools and access to create original work, build ventures and generate income. It ensures more creators see themselves reflected in the stories shaping culture while also having the opportunity to create them, own them and earn from them. Through culturally rooted storytelling, tech-enabled learning, and access to creative ecosystems, Super{Power} is cultivating a global community where human creativity is supercharged — and where the next generation can turn ideas into ventures and culture into capital.
