An interdisciplinary project led by UNT faculty received recognition and awards across the state.

The Juntxs, or "Together," project, also known as the Bilingual Homework Hotline, earned the 2024 Nueva Direcciones Award from the Association of Latina/o and Latinx Anthropologists, as well as the 2024 Robert A. and Beverly Hackenberg Prize from the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Since 2020, the project has offered homework assistance and academic support to K-12 students in Denton Independent School District (DISD) and beyond.

Faculty from the UNT Departments of Anthropology and Teacher Education and Administration, as well as Texas Woman's University, originally created the hotline to support students and school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

UNT helpers are typically recruited from the anthropology and education programs, as well as the Department of Spanish.

"The hotline allows our student volunteers to see the direct meaning and application of the academic work they do," says Mariela Nuñez-Janes, UNT professor of applied anthropology and project lead for Juntxs.

Helpers assist with homework assignments on all subjects, read books or simply chat over the hotline. The hotline, hosted on Zoom, has grown in popularity, doubling from 1,000 to nearly 2,000 calls per semester to assist students outside of DISD.

Jenn Castillo, a doctoral candidate in curriculum and instruction, says, "Sometimes we have students who call just to talk or read together. It goes beyond homework -- it fosters relationships and connections."