Our roots run deep.
Two movements shaped by students and professionals who believed representation and opportunity should not be limited by background.
A movement that changed campuses.
In 1969, Chicano students gathered at UC Santa Barbara and helped develop El Plan de Santa Bárbara, a foundational document calling for greater access to higher education, student organizing, and Chicano Studies.
MEChA became a major organizing network on California campuses, advocating for educational access, cultural recognition, and student voice.
Explore UCSB's archival history ↗From a garage to a national familia.
Engineers led by Rodrigo Garcia began meeting in East Los Angeles to confront barriers in the profession. SHPE formally organized in 1974 and grew from Southern California into a nationwide network of students and professionals.
SHPE's official history describes 280+ college and university chapters. Its region listings describe seven geographic regions across the United States and Puerto Rico.
Read SHPE's official story ↗Seven SHPE regions. One familia.
A geographic overview based on SHPE's official seven-region structure. This is a region summary, not a pin-level chapter directory.
SHPE has a published region-by-region chapter directory. Individual MEChA campus chapters need independent verification; no unsupported national total is shown.
Browse SHPE Regions ↗Sources: UCSB Library's MEChA collection; SHPE's official history and regions directory. Counts may change.