HispanicTrending

The American College To Offer First Course In Spanish: Techniques For Prospecting: Prospect Or Perish

June 30, 2008
Source: InsuranceNewsNet.com

The American College, the nation’s leading educator of financial services professionals, announced today that it will offer FA 200, Techniques for Prospecting: Prospect or Perish, a course from the institution’s prestigious Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow, (LUTCF) and Financial Services Specialist (FSS) curricula in Spanish.  This is the first time The College has made its world-class financial content available in Spanish within the United States.

“America is changing.  In 1995, 10 percent of the people in the United States were of Hispanic origin.  By 2050, one out of every four people will be Hispanic,” said Larry Barton, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of The American College.  “With few fluent Spanish speaking financial advisors trained and available, America’s financial services industry is currently unprepared to address the needs of this increasingly affluent group of investors.”

To address this issue, The American College has begun to offer course content to professionals who speak Spanish as their primary language.  This first course, FA 200, Techniques for Prospecting: Prospect or Perish, will be offered as a live, online webinar and will teach financial advisors industry-proven methods for successfully identifying, selecting, and approaching prospects for financial products and services.  The course covers procedures for creating prospect awareness, target marketing concepts, and prospect qualification and prioritization techniques.

“While Hispanic purchasing power is well over $700 billion, the Hispanic culture has not emphasized the importance of stock markets and investing as a means of creating long-term financial security,” said Luis E. Gayoso, Financial Advisor, Nationwide Financial Network and moderator of the first Spanish language version of Techniques for Prospecting: Prospect or Perish.  “There is a misperception among many Hispanics that investing in the stock market is only for rich people.  Educated financial advisors that are fluent in Spanish can help address this issue and assist Hispanic families in the creation and retention of wealth.”

As a financial professional and a member of the Nationwide Financial Network, Luis Gayoso offers a variety of financial protection and asset accumulation products and services.  He utilizes life insurance, annuities and investments to provide solutions for estate and retirement planning, survivorship needs, college funding and business continuation planning.

Gayoso has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in International Management and Finance from Shippensburg University.  He is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), Greater Philadelphia Chapter, and the Past President of ANPA (National Peruvian-American Association - Philadelphia Chapter.)  Gayoso is also a Latino Professional Mentoring Network (LPMN) Advisory Board member for the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  He and his wife Evelyn reside in Phoenixville, PA.

Gayoso, the moderator for the course, has translated the course PowerPoints into Spanish.  Course participants will only communicate in Spanish.

The first course webinar is scheduled for July 25, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Financial professionals fluent in Spanish that are interested in enrolling in this course should visit TheAmericanCollege.edu/subpage.php?pageId=711

The American College is dedicated to leadership in innovative training and development that helps financial services companies and their employees succeed.  As a non-profit educational institution holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has served as a valued business partner to banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies and others for over 80 years.  The American College’s faculty represents some of the financial services industry’s foremost thought leaders.  For more information, visit TheAmericanCollege.edu

Hispanic immigrants need higher ed

June 26, 2008
By Dan McFeely

Not enough Hispanic immigrants are graduating from high school in Indiana -- and even fewer are going onto college.

That must change if the state wants to capture a growing population's potential to fill jobs in the next 20-30 years, according to researchers at the Sagamore Institute, who issued a report on the matter today in Indianapolis.

For many children of immigrants, the notion of seeking a higher education takes a back seat to their parents' push to get them into the workforce, usually at jobs that do not require a degree. About half the Hispanic immigrants age 20-24 living in Indiana today have a high school degree and even less - about 16 percent - have taken some college courses.

Meanwhile, Indiana's declining domestic population is creating a need for more workers -- particularly those with at least two years of higher education -- to fill advanced manufacturing positions in the future.

"I think it is under-appreciated what a challenge this is going to be," said Justin Heet, a researcher who analyzed demographics for Sagamore, a local think tank that studies Indiana policy issues. "Our labor force is going to begin shrinking and there is a population that is rushing in to fill the gaps."

But in order to make sure those gaps are filled with qualified workers, the researchers say more work needs to be done first to make sure Indiana's Hispanic high school students get their degree, and then enroll in some form of higher education - mentioning specifically the two-year associate's degree programs and technical certifications offered by Ivy Tech Community College.

The study -- Immigration and Higher Education in Indiana - was funded by the Lumina Foundation.

Source: Indianapolis Star

The Role of Schools in the English Language Learner Achievement Gap

June 26, 2008
by Rick Fry

Students designated as English language learners (ELL) tend to go to public schools with low standardized test scores. However, these low levels of assessed proficiency are not solely attributable to poor achievement by ELL students. These same schools report poor achievement by other major student groups as well, and have a set of characteristics associated generally with poor standardized test performance--such as high student-teacher ratios, high student enrollments and high levels of students who live in poverty or near poverty. When ELL students are not isolated in these low-achieving schools, their gap in test score results is considerably narrower.

Download the complete report.

Source: Pew Hispanic Center

'Adios' English school? Super wants Spanish

Administrator calls for language program amid soaring illegal immigration statistics

June 24, 2008
By Chelsea Schilling

Dissatisfied with teaching in Spanish 85 percent of the time, a North Carolina superintendent is pushing for a proposal that includes a plan for a school where Spanish is the predominant language.

Superintendent Peter Gorman pitched his proposal to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board today, with provisions to combine two of its dual-language programs and turn Collinswood Elementary into a Spanish-speaking school. Nora Carr, chief communications officer for Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, told WND the facility will help to preserve Hispanic culture.

"We find that a lot of kids who go there have parents who might be English-speaking immigrants, and they might be very successful," she said. "They fear that their kids might be losing some of the culture or not getting the fluency in the language because they speak English at home."

Carr said one of the top executives with AT&T is Hispanic and sends his children to the school.

"Obviously they are very fluent, well-educated in English, legal citizens," she said. "They're sending their kids there because they want them to have exposure to their native language."

Collinswood Dual Language Academy already provides a K-5 "language immersion program." The school began with a total Spanish curriculum. According to a brochure to promote the Spanish services, "In this dual language program, kindergarteners spend 85% of the instructional day learning the curriculum in Spanish and 15% of the day learning in English."

Carr said the program places equal emphasis on fluency in English and Spanish, but according to a program brochure, Collinswood teachers provide instruction in Spanish while introducing English words. Texts are provided in Spanish as well.

When students reach the first grade, they spend more than half the day learning in Spanish only. Homework is allowed to be completed in either language.

However, the dual language program could place even more emphasis on Spanish and stretch the curriculum into the eighth grade if Gorman's plan is approved.

Collinswood enrolls more than 510 students, and the population is 53 percent Hispanic, 29 percent black and 17 percent white. The school estimates 66 percent of the student population is eligible to receive low-income free or reduced-price school lunches.

With nearly 117,000 students, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District is the nation's 23rd largest public school district. It sparked public controversy last year when a student named Jose Velasquez recited the Pledge of Allegiance in English at his Garinger High School graduation, the Charlotte Observer reported. Immediately afterward, CMS organizers requested that he repeat the pledge in Spanish.

Based on U.S. Census 2000 figures, the Hispanic population increased 571 percent in Mecklenburg County from 1990 to 2000. Likewise, Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools experienced a 822 percent jump in Hispanic enrollments from 1995 to 2000.

According to the City of Charlotte's Mayor's Immigration Study, much of the growth is "due to the high birth rate of Hispanics and illegal immigrants in Mecklenburg County. … However, the full impact of illegal or legal immigration for the school system cannot be determined, as Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, like schools across the country, do not ask for citizenship status when students are enrolled for the academic year."

CMS claims the cost per student is $8,198. The study multiplies that number by the 13,000 students in the Limited English Proficiency program and estimates that $106 million is spent on illegal immigrants in the district. In 2006, CMS received $6 million in state funding for the LEP program.

"Certainly we have kids who are first-generation immigrants and are learning English, and kids who were born here and don't know English at all who come from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures," Carr said.

When asked if the Spanish program will cost more than typical public schools, Carr responded, "Traditionally magnet programs cost a little bit more, though we're actually combining programs to save money, so this is actually going to be a cost savings for us. Their teachers get paid the same amount as a teacher at a regular elementary school. There may be some additional curriculum costs."

While Gorman has been discussing budget cutbacks for hiring teachers, and many instructors complain that they are forced to pay for school supplies, the district's media division enjoys a budget of $3.57 million and employs 29 people. Some critics say the division is more focused on spinning the image of the district rather than keeping the public informed. CMS even has its own TV department with 36 shows.

Carr said plans for the Spanish program are in preliminary stages at this point, and the board will make its final decision in the fall.

"It's all up for discussion; nothing is firm yet," she said. "It's simply a proposal, and there are a variety of options that we're looking at. We'll be taking those out to a series of community seven forums through August to get input from parents, the community and the general public."

Source: WorldNetDaily.com

Models of Success With Latino Students

June 19, 2008
Source: Inside Higher Ed

With the Latino population growing, colleges are considering their success — or lack thereof — in educating Latino students.

A new report released Wednesday, “Modeling Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): Campus Practices that Work for Latino Students,” explores strategies used by institutions with significant Latino enrollments. The report was released by Excelencia in Education and examined six community colleges and six public universities — in California, New York and Texas.

The report looked at five topics identified to help Latino students succeed and what the 12 institutions were doing in those areas. Some examples:

Community outreach: East Los Angeles College works with students in middle and high schools to teach them math and prepare them for college math.

Academic support: El Camino College set up a First Year Experience Program in which students participate in learning communities (programs in which cohorts take multiple classes together), and also receive help from peer and faculty mentors.

Data use: New York City College of Technology, of the City University of New York, conducted surveys of students and found that many minority students were troubled by a lack of communication with professors and advisers about career goals. The college responded by creating new programs for undeclared majors and revamping career counseling.

Faculty development: El Camino College started a new programs to teach professors how to pronounce names they might not know, with the goal of making all students feel more comfortable in the classroom.

Transfer paths: The report pointed out that almost half of Latino students begin their higher education at a community college. The University of Texas El Paso works with the local school districts as well as the El Paso Community College to make the transitions smooth — and offers special summer programs and scholarships for community college students.

The report also several general suggestions for working with Latino students:

    * “Provide a holistic approach to serving Latino students within the institution.”
    * “Partner with other education organizations in the community to align educational resources.”
    * “Seek external sources to develop and test innovative practices while adding proven practices to the institutional budget.”
    * “Use short-term measures of academic progress to guide improvement in curricula instruction, and support services for Latino students.”

Deborah Santiago, vice president for policy and research of Excelencia in Education and author of the report, said one of the most important lessons was that it’s not enough for colleges to enroll Latinos, but that they must provide services to these students. She added that these programs can serve other populations as well.

“If it works well for Latino students, it can work well for all students,” she said.

Most Hispanic students say college too costly

June 17, 2008
By DEANNA MARTIN

About half of Hispanic high school students in Indiana would be the first in their families to attend college, and most feel they can't afford a higher education, according to a new survey.

Learn More Indiana's annual survey of high school freshmen and juniors found that most students expect to earn a four-year college degree. But fewer Hispanic students expected a four-year degree compared to their peers.

The study emphasizes the need for all students to consider themselves "college material," said Elizabeth Crouch, spokeswoman for Learn More Indiana, a group of education organizations.

"The majority of students are saying they want to go to college," Crouch said. "When asked if they have a plan or way to pay for it, they don't know."

Following the roadmap to college -- a path filled with tests, applications and deadlines -- can be more difficult for students without family members who have gone to college. About a quarter of black and white 9th grade students in the 2007-2008 school year said no one in their household attended college, compared to 50 percent of Hispanic freshmen.

Potential first-generation college students often face more obstacles than others in high school. Researchers say those teenagers sometimes lack the rigorous academic preparation and family encouragement that others have.

Sometimes parents without college degrees urge their children to get a job instead of continuing their education.

"We have seen a lot of that and we are really trying to change that," said Gina Platten, education program coordinator at the Indiana Latino Institute.

But some Hispanic parents -- especially those who have recently immigrated to the country -- often push their children get a college education, said Lisa Sandoval, director of communications at the Washington, D.C.-based Hispanic College Fund.

"Parents realize they're exposing their children to opportunities they didn't have," Sandoval said. "The main barrier is knowing how and having the resources to actually pursue that education."

While 58 percent of all freshmen surveyed said they thought they could afford college, just 41 percent of Hispanic freshmen thought so. Among juniors, expectations were more bleak -- about 54 percent of all juniors thought they could afford college, compared to just 35 percent of Hispanic juniors.

College affordability is a major issue among all students, but can be a bigger barrier for first-generation students. Since parents without college degrees typically earn less than others, it makes sense that their children often worry about paying for higher education.

Education advocates stress that nearly every student can find options for attaining higher education.

"College is the most important investment that you can make in your future," Crouch said.

The survey also found that students who have family members with college experience more often said that they know how to prepare for college, can find college admission requirements and have visited a college campus.

That kind of "college knowledge" is needed to help get students on track to a higher education, Sandoval said. The Hispanic College Fund gives scholarships and provides mentoring programs to help students get to college and succeed once there.

"Students have an immense drive," Sandoval said.

The Learn More Indiana survey included responses from more than 100,000 students in 9th and 11th grades at more than 320 public and private high schools around the state. Data from the voluntary survey given in October was compiled by Indiana University's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.

Source: Chicago Tribune

ImpreMedia to Serve as Exclusive Spanish Language Broadcaster of U.S. Treasury Department’s Roundtable on Financial Education for the Hispanic Community

June 09, 2008
Via BUSINESS WIRE

On Tuesday, June 10, the U.S. Treasury Department will host a roundtable discussion on how to improve financial education for the Hispanic community. U.S. Treasurer, Anna Escobedo Cabral, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Education, Dan Iannicola, Jr., are co-chairing this important meeting to discuss best practices to provide financial education to Hispanic Americans. As part of impreMedia’s ongoing commitment to the Hispanic community, the full day’s activities will be broadcast on the company’s newly launched portal, impre.com (www.impre.com).

“At impreMedia Digital, our mission is to provide the Hispanic community with the most up-to-date and relevant information to help empower U.S. Hispanics in all aspects of their lives and particularly in the financial areas. We are proud to partner with Julie Stav to broadcast this important roundtable,” said Arturo Duran, CEO, impreMedia Digital. “We are especially pleased to have the Hispanic community’s most recognized financial expert, representing the voice of the Hispanic community on the Hill. In today’s challenging economy, it’s more important than ever that we provide our readers with information that will help them achieve the great American dream of financial independence.”

The roundtable is the fourth in a series of discussions being held as part of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission's implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Literacy. Among the top featured speakers are Anna Escobedo Cabral, Treasurer of the United States, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Dan Iannicola, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Education, U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Julie Stav, Financial Expert and Authority on Financial Matters Pertaining to the Hispanic Community.

“I am proud to have the opportunity to voice the needs and concerns of the Hispanic community among such a distinguished audience,” said Julie Stav. “And I commend impre.com for believing in the importance of supporting financial literacy by broadcasting this significant and timely roundtable. Knowledge is power and our people should know what government and other institutions are doing for Hispanics.”

The Financial Literacy and Education Commission (Commission) was established under Title V of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act of 2003 to improve financial literacy and education of persons in the United States. The Commission is chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury and is composed of 19 other Federal agencies.

The principal duties of the Commission include encouraging government and private sector efforts to promote financial literacy; coordinating financial education efforts of the Federal government; identification and promotion of best practices; development of a national strategy to promote financial literacy; establishment of a website to serve as a clearinghouse and provide information about financial education programs and grants; and establishment of a toll-free hotline available to provide information about issues of financial literacy and education.

“Recent immigrants to the United States are often less likely than native-born Americans to be connected to mainstream financial services such as checking, savings, and stock ownership,” said Dan Iannicola, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Education. “We see the pattern in the Hispanic community, where a targeted approach to better deliver financial education is needed.”

Key Discussion Topics Will Include (please refer to complete agenda for complete schedule of events):
* Assessing Where We Stand: An Overview of Financial Education in the Hispanic Community
* Delivering the Message: Effective Ways to Communicate Financial Literacy Topics in the Hispanic Community
* Learning from Experience: Using Teachable Moments to Promote Financial Education
* Building Wealth: Strategies to Improve Quality of Life through the Financial System
* Updates from Federal Agencies

To view the live broadcast of the Financial Literacy Roundtable, please go to: www.impre.com/juliestav.

For more information about the Financial Literacy Commission, visit www.mymoney.gov.

Latinos' educational progress affects all Texans

June 7, 2008
Source: Editorial Dallas Morning News

We don't doubt that this week's reading of The Dallas Morning News will cause some North Texans to throw down their newspapers in anger. The front-page stories that start today about the struggle Latino children have in progressing through the Dallas school district will lead many readers straight back to the immigration debate.

If we would only deport those kids, goes one side of this argument, our schools wouldn't have so many problems. But deporting hundreds of thousands of kids isn't going to happen. Besides, these children's legal status isn't the issue. The Supreme Court has ruled that states must educate all kids, even children of illegal workers.
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The real issue is how schools in Dallas and across Texas educate so many Hispanic children, whether they are first-, second- or third-generation Latinos. This responsibility starts with Latino families ensuring that their children show up at school, master their classes and ultimately succeed.

But this complicated task is important to all Texans because the state's future is wrapped up with its fast-growing Latino population. Before he left to head the U.S. Census Bureau, University of Texas at San Antonio demographer Steve Murdock warned that the Texas economy will be at risk if Hispanics don't graduate in healthy numbers from high school and college.

Here's why: Latinos will dominate Texas' workforce by 2040. If they lack the skills the global economy demands, the state can forget growing and attracting good-paying jobs. Instead, Texans will count on more demand for Medicaid, prison beds and welfare. Texas will see its middle class shrink.

In other words, all of Texas falls behind if one part of its population fails to advance. That is why focusing on schools with large Latino populations is in every Texan's interest. And why Latino families must take the lead in learning English, assimilating into cities like Dallas and putting a premium upon education.

For these reasons, we suggest each of us take the time to read and think about this series. We can throw down the newspaper. Or we can realize how Texas' future rests in all of us meeting this challenge.

Black and Latino students face challenges at US universities

May 27 2008
Source: The Guardian

Their acceptance into San Jose State university turned Joel Bridgeman and Anwar Estelle into instant neighbourhood heroes.

Few from the bleak Richmond, California, streets make it to university, with its promise of a career. It meant never having to sweep the parking lot of Burger King again.

But the reality of university hit hard. Upon arrival, they needed remedial courses. Financial aid fell through. Their families couldn't help. And hardly anyone on campus looked like them.

"It's demoralising when you get here and you're starting off behind," Bridgeman said. "You think: Maybe I'm not as smart as I thought."

Much of the debate over the achievement gap has focused on helping black and Latino students graduate from high school and get into university. But the sobering reality is that the gap persists even there.

Bridgeman and Estelle prevailed and graduated.

But many others won't. While making substantial increases in enrolment, blacks and Latinos drop out at higher rates, according the Washington-based non-profit the Education Trust.

Nationally, the average graduation rate is 53 percent; in contrast, the average graduation rate of what schools call "underrepresented minorities" -- blacks, Latinos and American Indians -- is 45 percent. The gap has narrowed slightly in recent years -- in 2002, only 42 percent of such students graduated.

The gap is much smaller at highly selective schools that offer on-campus housing, such as Stanford university.

Dropouts can get shut out of most professional careers in today's increasingly globalised, computerised economy.

The dropout rate also worries economists, because of the state's increasing demand for a skilled workforce.

The reasons behind this college gap are as complex as America itself.

A university is designed to be a meritocracy, admitting the best and brightest. In fact, it reinforces many of the advantages of birth -- with success based on strong preparation, financial support and educated parents who hold high standards and expect disciplined effort.

"People inherit disadvantage," said Tom Mortenson, a senior scholar at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education in Washington.

"Low-income kids are concentrated in low-income high schools, and in families that know little about being successful in college. It takes more than love to raise a child."
Vanessa Cuevas, 22, was smart enough to get admitted into the University of California-Berkeley, but from the first day of chemistry class, she felt overwhelmed.

The daughter of former migrant workers in rural Sutter County, California, she was a top student at her high school.

But at Berkeley, she found herself competing against students who had an array of advanced placement classes in high school.

For Bridgeman and Estelle, both 24, their poor preparation made them question whether they belonged.

"You come out of high school thinking you're one of the smart kids and a good student -- and then you realise that your high school sucked," Bridgeman said.

"You're wondering: Can I really make it through college?"

In interviews, many Latino and black students said they felt isolated on campus, excluded from study groups. Even advisers can hurt, they said, trying to pigeonhole them in majors like Spanish or black studies.

Adding to the stress, most must also work. Estelle, a business administration major, woke at 5.40 am for his on-campus administrative job, ate lunch, then worked at a mobile phone store until 10 pm. He once fell asleep during a statistics exam.

Not everyone makes it, he noted, because it requires a strong work ethic. "Some people are lazy," he said. "If your story ain't that bad, you got no excuse."

Still it was a far cry from the carefree college life that they envisioned -- and that many of their classmates enjoyed.

Early one morning this April, Cuevas grew wistful while walking past Berkeley's fraternity row. "We were so tired and sleepy, and we saw girls in bikinis, having barbecues. People having fun. I really don't have a social life," said Cuevas, a social welfare major.

Studies have found that there's not enough financial aid for low-income students. When it's available, many students find the deadlines and paperwork too daunting.

Part-time work -- needed to pay rent and food -- disqualifies some from tuition grants. Others are scared to take on large loans.

Their families can't offer much help.

"If you get to school and realise that you've got more education than both parents, who are you supposed to ask for advice?" Bridgeman said.

"Maybe you get cut off from financial aid -- and your mom says, 'Well, try your best.'"

After a while, quitting seemed like the most logical thing to do.

But support programs, a network of caring adults and some well-chosen friends can keep them in school.

"What we've learned is that it is crucial, especially during the first year, to connect on campus. It makes you feel part of a larger community -- and makes sitting in the library easier to face," said Jeff Towey, who mentors youths at the Making Waves Education Program in Richmond.

Things improved for Cuevas when she joined the Multicultural Resource Centre and she moved into a multiethnic house of students.

"It saved my life," said Cuevas, who earned straight A's last semester and has been accepted into the prestigious University of Michigan graduate school program. "I see people who look like me and I feel comfortable, like I can express myself in any way."

For Bridgeman and Estelle, once classes were over, "We'd sit around and smoke cigars -- same spot, every day -- and talk about college stuff."

If Estelle hadn't read a book for class, Bridgeman summarised it for him.

When Bridgeman's financial aid fell through, he slept on Estelle's sofa and cut hair in dormitories for $7 a person -- and kept going to class.

They both came close to dropping out. Sophomore year, Estelle walked into San Jose State's administrative offices to get permission and was rebuffed. "I guess she thought if I was stupid enough to ask, she'd just say, 'No'," he recalled, laughing.

Bridgeman thought about it, too. But he reconsidered when his mentor, black studies professor Stephen Millner, asked: "If you don't make it, what message does it give to all the other kids in your neighbourhood?"

Membership in the black fraternity Iota Phi Theta during their junior year provided role models -- and fun. The startling 90 percent graduation rate of the small fraternity is triple the 30 percent rate of the school's overall black population.

Without the fraternity, said Estelle, "I definitely wouldn't have stayed. I'd be long gone. I'd have just hopped in my car and kept driving until I ran out of gas."

From there, doors opened to new opportunities. Bridgeman, a political science major, landed an internship in Washington at the US House of Representatives.

Together, Estelle and Bridgeman sponsored a fraternity-based 'shadow day' for 25 black high school boys to accompany them on campus.

And last fall, the friends gathered new freshmen in a room, fed them pizza and offered advice.
"We say: 'Don't be a statistic,'" said Bridgeman. "If we did it, they can."

Latino grads off for college, despite the odds

May 25, 2008
By David Frey

High school senior Anakaren Meraz is bound for college next year. So is her twin sister Anabel. So are their friends Daisy Garcia and Natalie Meraz.

They are all going to Mesa State in Grand Junction, along with their friend Ruth Gamboa. They will all be nursing students. And, they shouted almost in unison, “We’re rooming together!”

The girls have something else in common, too. They are the first in their families to go to college, and after watching many of their Latino friends drop out, they were determined to challenge the odds.

“We’re like the first generation,” said Natalie, no relation to the twins, who decorated her mortarboard with words like “dream,” “hope” and “believe” in big silver letters as she graduated on Saturday.

Being not too far from home with friends will ease the homesickness, they said, and they’ve promised to take turns cooking up pots of frijoles to remind them of their mothers’ home cooking.

To be Hispanic and graduate in the Roaring Fork School District is almost a coin flip, let alone make it to college. Latino graduation rates trail their Anglo counterparts’, and the RFSD lags behind Aspen and Garfield Re-2 school districts. For many Latino students, just getting to high school puts them ahead of their parents. Graduating puts them ahead of many of their friends. College puts them into unknown territory.

“They never get as much support from their parents,” Natalie said. “They start getting jobs because they have to, and then they think they don’t have to graduate.”

Last year, the RFSD had a 57 percent graduation rate for Latinos, compared with an 87 percent rate for Anglos. That’s up a point from 2006, but it still lags behind other valley districts. Garfield Re-2 had a 66 percent graduation rate for Latinos last year, versus 87 percent for Anglos. Aspen’s rate was nearly 67 percent for Latinos, and 99 percent for Anglos.

“They face every barrier out there you can think of,” said Adriana Ayala-Hire, the director of the Pre-Collegiate Program, a joint project of the Roaring Fork School District, University of Colorado, Colorado Mountain College and the Aspen Community Foundation aimed at first-generation college seekers.

“Many of them, of course, come from lower-income families that need them to work,” she said. “They’re supporting themselves. Some of them come from single-parent homes. Many of them live in poverty, and this is a reason in itself to not think about college.”

The girls credit the program, including Ayala-Hire and their mentor Scott Gilbert, with pushing them to college.

“Basically, it was Pre-Collegiate that got us through,” Daisy said.
Graduation rate lags

Anakaren and Anabel, twin prom queens who sported tongue-in-cheek tiaras and Disney princess figurines on their mortarboards, read the Spanish version of the bilingual introduction to students and their families.

“A la clase de 2008, felicidades,” Anabel said. “Congratulations.”

Hispanic girls like them are more likely to get their diplomas than boys. Just over half of the district’s Latino boys — 52 percent — graduate. The rate for girls is 10 points higher.

“It was mostly our guy friends who dropped out,” said Basalt senior Veronica Hernandez. “It was hard seeing them drop out because they found a job that paid well. They needed to help support their family. That’s usually how it works.”

That affects college plans, too. As retiring Basalt High School Principal Jim Waddick read students’ names and their future plans as they received their diplomas, he followed most Latino boys’ names with the words “will be entering the workforce.”

As one Latino crossed the stage, he whispered in his ear: “… And then going on to college.”

“Maybe,” the boy said.

Veronica’s own college plans changed after she became pregnant with twins. She still hopes to become a doctor, but those plans are on hold. In the meantime, she’ll study nursing at CMC, where she is already taking classes. She took her college algebra final laid up in a Denver hospital where she was being treated for pregnancy complications. (She got an A.)

“I still see myself as college-bound,” she said. “It’s just going to make it tougher and longer.”

Past college

Gilbert, the girls’ mentor, has pushed them to think past high school, even past college.

“While all this huge celebration is going on, and it’s a big thing, this really is the commencement. This is the beginning,” he said. “I think for these guys, they realize now, while graduating from high school is important and going to college is critical, it’s not the end result. It’s a step.”

The girls said they look to Ayala-Hire as an example: a Mexican immigrant and teen mom who made it through college, then graduate school, and into a professional career.

“It’s kind of like, if she can make it despite those obstacles, we can do it,” Anakaren said.

Two years ago, these same students told the Aspen Daily News about their hopes for a better life than their parents had or the kind of lives that might have awaited them if their parents hadn’t left their homes in Mexico and El Salvador.

All seven in that group have made it to college, many with full scholarships. Four girls are bound for Mesa State. Two are headed to CMC. Another student, Mo Osorio, transferred as a junior to the prep school Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale and won a free ride to George Washington University, pre-med.

Luis Morales joined the program last year after his mother moved his family from south-central Los Angeles to Basalt, away from gangs and into the mountains. He won a scholarship to study business at the University of Colorado. He hopes one day to launch his own clothing company.

“I didn’t want to be another statistic,” Luis said. “I didn’t want to be another Latino going to jail or dropping out of high school. I wanted to set a good example, not just for my people but for everybody in high school.”

That’s exactly what he’s doing, his mother said.

“Even now, his cousin sees him and wants to be the next one,” she said.

Source: Aspen Daily News

Texas A&M gets more Hispanic, black students

May 21, 2008
Source: The Eagle

Texas A&M University officials are predicting that a record number of Hispanic and black students will be enrolled this fall in what administrators say will be the largest freshman class in history.

Enrollment confirmations from Hispanic students increased by 20 percent -- or 232 students -- over last year, bringing the total to 1,371 students, according to projections released Tuesday by A&M's Office of Admissions. Confirmations for black students increased by 19 percent -- or 49 students -- over last year, for a total of 303 students.

More than 8,200 freshmen are expected to enrolled at A&M this fall, marking an increase of about 100 students over fall 2007. About half of those students are in the top 10 percent of their high schools, officials said Tuesday. About a quarter of the group will be first-generation college students.

Figures won't be official until after the 20th day of class this fall.

A&M President Elsa Murano attributed the increases in Hispanic and black student enrollment to a more aggressive recruiting process that provided students with more personal attention. Additional financial aid also is making a difference, she said, as is the work being done by Texas A&M's Hispanic Network and Black Former Students Network.

"These numbers reflect a university-wide effort and represent significant strides that have been made in attracting underrepresented students to Texas A&M," Murano said in a statement released Tuesday. "While Texas A&M is a welcoming place for underrepresented students, we are not where we need to be from an overall enrollment standpoint. Our commitment is to expand our Hispanic and African-American student populations even further as part of our land-grant mission for the state of Texas."

Report Examines Low Number of Hispanic Nurses

May 19, 2008
Source: Nurse.com

In light of a lack of diversity exacerbating a current and projected nationwide nursing shortage, a new study by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute examines why there’s a shortage of Latino nurses and what we can do about it.

In the report, “Latina and Latino Nurses: Why are there so few?,” authors Rainbow Vogt, PhD, and Maria Teresa V. Taningco, PhD, found from interviewing 373 Latinos in Los Angeles various barriers to entering the nursing profession.

Nurses and assistant nurses most often cited lack of time for studying due to family obligations, the limited number of seats in nursing programs, lack of financial support for nursing school, and lack of academic preparation and training.

For the non-nurses, the biggest barriers were lack of knowledge about the nursing profession, lack of a role model in the field, and the perception that nursing was too stressful and demanding.

To address the lack of diversity as well as the overall nursing shortage, Vogt and Taningco recommend improving educational opportunities available to minorities and improving nurses’ working conditions including understaffing, lack of administrative support, and job-related stress.

The report is available at http://www.trpi.org/PDFs/Latino%20Nurses_Final.pdf.