Southeast / Long Beach

CHANGING FACES: For the first time, students returning to Compton Community College this fall will be represented by a Latina.

Maria Lopez, who moved to Lynwood 17 years ago from Mexicali, Mexico, was elected student body president during the spring semester.

She is the first woman of Latin American descent to serve as student body president at the largely African American school, founded in 1927.

Lopez’s election coincides with the changing demographics of the 5,000-student campus. Latino enrollment has been increasing steadily for the last five years, said spokeswoman Pamela Wilde.

According to recent figures, 52% of the students are African American, while 42% are Latino. In 1991, 37% of the students were Latino, Wilde said.

This change reflects a larger trend in the surrounding city, which has become home to a growing Latino population.

But Lopez said race has little to do with her job as president. She plans to represent everyone on campus, not just Latinos, she said.