Jaime Escalante helped turn a poorly funded and violence-stricken class at Garfield High School in East Los Angles to one that earned top ranks in national calculus testing.

Escalante will speak at 7 p.m. today in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium. Escalante was brought to campus through the King, Chavez and Parks Visiting Professor Program and Minority Student Services. He is the keynote speaker for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Escalante made a difference within the classes he taught, serving underprivileged Hispanics. The movie “Stand and Deliver” explains his story and pays tribute to Escalante.

“We want him to talk about his experience and his dedication and his persuasion to lift his students up,” said Lester Booker Jr., MSS graduate assistant.

Booker hopes the audience fills the auditorium. The visit cost $7,000, he said.

Booker said Escalante was convinced that his students had the ability to succeed.

Jeanette Smith, administrative secretary for Minority Student Services, expects a large turnout for the event.

“We estimate around 800 people,” she said.

Uzochukwuka Eluwa, president of Sigma Lambda Beta and Grand Blanc junior, said Escalante has become a great role model.

“He is the immaculate constellation of what it means to be a minority,” Eluwa said.

Escalante will discuss both his life and his teaching, Smith said.

Eluwa hopes Escalante will talk about other things as well.

“I want him to address the adversity he was facing at the time,” he said.

Eluwa said he supports Escalante for being a Latino and making a difference.

“Even in the midst of adversity, he was the representative of what being a Latino or a minority should be,” he said.

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