Real Latino Students Gaining Higher Education

When attempting to navigate higher education, many first generation students have a very different college experience than someone who comes from a financially stable family with a history of higher education. In this paper we will discuss the differences between those college experiences and how that may change the positions available to them here at UCF. Differences include financial resources, access to healthcare, and available free-time. We will also use this data to propose legislation implemented through SGA that can create a more transparent Student Election as well as encourage 1st generation participants such as Karen Caudillo to run for student office. Karen will be used as an example of a real Latino student coming from a disadvantaged

When President Obama passed DACA, it became the first time for many Latinos where they could afford to pursue higher education. Students who attend university without DACA, depending on state laws, must pay out of state tuition, which is often 3 times the cost of in-state tuition. A $400 class becomes a $1200 class at the local community college. Even a state university such as UCF becomes a distant dream for most undocumented immigrants. This also means that these people are working jobs without degrees and their children, who may be citizens, may not have access to the finances necessary to attend a larger university. This is no longer the case, however, for many first generation Latinos who now have access to federal loans or scholarship opportunities. Slowly but surely, the access to financial and educational resources is improving in Latino communities. Since its inception, 83% of the 65% of DACA recipients who are in school are currently pursuing their Bachelors degree. However, there are still struggles experienced by the community at

Unaddressed mental health needs can create things like normalized domestic violence or histories of family drug use. The National Institute of Mental Health published a study about the rates of mental illness amongst migrants and their children. This study discussed the rates of which mental illness occurred as well as the rates of mental health services being accessed by a specific racial group. “Puerto Ricans reported significantly higher rates of overall mental health service use and specialty service use than all other Latino subgroups; however, foreign-born Latinos and those who spoke primarily Spanish, while much less likely to seek specialty services, used general medical services for mental health issues at comparable rates to other Latinos, suggesting lower recognition of psychiatric problems among these populations.” The stigma that exists around mental illness is strong force preventing treatment in many Latino countries. Although it is difficult to access these resources within America, it is important for the Latino community to address mental health in order to improve the lives of future Latinos. These issues will never be brought to the forefront of the agenda until those impacted step forward and engage the political structures that exist. This helps to create a political mobility in