In America, Latino’s face many struggles that hinder their chances of living the American dream. One of the biggest struggles that Latino’s youth face is dropping out of school due to circumstances they encounter, such as Pregnancy, Gangs and Poverty. Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic minority in the United States today. The number of Hispanic students in the nation's public schools nearly doubled from 1990 till present day. The dropout rate of Hispanic youth between age 16 and 19 has been at an all-time high over the past couple of years. One-third of Hispanic students perform below grade level while more than 50 percent of Hispanic dropouts have less than a 10th-grade education. Latinos today are underrepresented in key indicators of school achievement such as high school and college graduation rates, standardized tests, and college entrance examinations.
“ When I first realized I could go to college it was a surreal experience. It seemed like all the hard work had paid off. Receiving the Hispanic Scholarship Fund was a huge relief because it allowed me the opportunity to continue my education without having to worry too much about thet tuition.” Despite decades having past since her college days, Wendy still sounded grateful for HSF. Like many undocumented immigrants, SHe had an unsure future after graduation and one of her biggest worries was college and her future.
56.6 million Hispanics currently reside in the United States. Subsequently, Most obtain minimum wage and degrading occupations. On one hand, some Hispanics operate in the fields, while others are employed as maids or servants. Nevertheless, the inability of achieving a higher education and acquiring a diploma from the lack of support the United State’s education system affects the desired American lifestyle Hispanics demand to achieve. The US system, uses segregation in education and maintains low wages for immigrants in order to maintain people of color in poverty.
College students, being the nucleus of a society, need the necessary tools to overcome the diverse barriers in life specifically the financial ones. This can relieve them emotionally, and helping them can push them to reach their goals. Since Obama administration had been working on this, there has been an increase in the financial aid. Colleges need to partner with organizations to leverage the access and affordability and the financial aid department can always work for example with the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Being a particular element in the economic field of a country, college needs to be cost-effective to college students. Since the future relies on them, helping those students at the financial level is not only helping them to do something meaningful with their lives, but is also
Just as the population of Texas is changing, so is the education and economics. This change is occurring, as the result of an increase in Hispanics, overall young population, decreases in the amount of Anglos, and lack of money invested into Texas’ education system. When looking into Hispanics, “Hispanics still lag behind other groups in obtaining a four-year degree. In 2013, among Hispanics ages 25 to 29, just 15% of Hispanics have a bachelor’s degree or higher” (5 facts about Latinos and Education). The reason Hispanics tend to lag behind other ethnic groups in education, comes down to the fact that as many come to the United states, they are searching for the highest paying job without the use of a college degree. This belief of finding
Both the participants and articles noted that due to the status of the students, they are not eligible to receive any sort of financial aid through the federal government. Without the financial support towards higher education, undocumented students are typically not able to afford higher education. Beyond financial aid, lies the concern of the paperwork that is often required when applying for higher education institutions. Because these students do not have the documentation that many schools ask for in the application process, many students do not know how to continue. Often times, the family is not a resource that the students can rely on. Both Mrs. Brannen and Dr. Sanchez-Samblás noted that often there is the language barrier that keeps family members from being able to assist students. One of the articles noted the language barrier as well as the unfamiliarity family members have with the process, which was something both Brannen and Sanchez-Samblás
Having personally grown up in a Hispanic household education has always been an important factor in my life. The aspirations my parents had for raising me in America was the ‘American Dream’. They would continuously say, “You need to go to college, so someday you will have a good job, and make a lot of money”. It’s certainly a lot easier said than done. Having already fulfilled most of my college days I am beginning to realize more and more how going to college isn’t all its hyped up to be. The truth is you aren’t guarantied a job after college and the value of a bachelor’s degree feels like it has decreased over time. What I want to know is if educational attainment is rising, have wages also kept up? It’s a struggle enough for most parents
Larissa Martinez, a high school graduate, revealed she was an undocumented immigrant in her high school valedictorian speech. She talked about how many undocumented immigrants will not have the chance to attend education beyond secondary school. Martinez mentions that “school became her safe haven because… that might be the only way to help [her] family” (The Dallas Morning News, 2016, 4:28). Not only do Americans look for social mobility through education, but immigrants do as well. Fortunately, Martinez can attend college through college funds, but many students in her situation do not have the means to get a college education because they do not have the money to afford it. People like Larissa struggle daily to achieve the “American Dream,” but fall short when pursuing a college education which they cannot afford or
Similarly, more often than not, parents do not know how to support their daughters in school and Latinas cannot rely on their parents for help through the college process. Due to reasons including immigration status, poverty, and lack of English skills, parents are unfamiliar with the American educational system(Survey: Latinas face challenges that hinder their education). Latinas have to find people they can ask for help because their parents have never gone to school in America and cannot guide Latinas through the process. Latinas must do everything on their own and sometimes their parents don’t even agree with what they are doing. Sometimes, parents respond with anger instead of being proud of their daughters for pursuing education because
This course has highlighted how the Latino community is growing drastically within the United States, but also how we are still treated poorly as minorities. I have learned and identified the facts behind major historical and current issues concerning Latino/a peoples and culture. Three things I will most remember about this course is the educational issues, unfair treatment that governing bodies have towards Latino/as people, and the unique struggles and triumphs that Latino/as have faced in the United States. The most impacting objective in this course for me was the educational issues that Latino/a student’s face in the United States. As Monica Martinez stated, “we are still at the back of the bus in public education and we are the
The term Hispanic is one used in today's world as a description of the culture and people from all countries which were at one time under Spanish rule. In America the influence of Hispanic culture is evident. Hispanic culture affects certain things such as media, food, people, and in particular education. In certain states at least half of the population is full of Hispanics. With every passing day, the Hispanic population increases rapidly. Because of this Hispanics increase more and more jobs have become bilingual; schools have changed curriculum to meet the needs of Hispanic students, and the Spanish culture is being taught to American students. As the Hispanic population grows, the increase in changes of American education has grown as well.
Throughout her education, her parents have always supported her. Unlike the Filipina American youth, in the article, “We Don’t’ Sleep Around Like White Girls Do,” who have limited freedom and higher expectations, Monica tells me that she is so grateful for her parents because they give her the freedom to do whatever she wants. She wants to do immigration law, not because her parents persuaded her, in fact, they tell her that if that is not what she want to do, then she should not do it. Her parents also approved for her to attend University of California, Irvine. Since she has lived in a little town almost all her life, she wanted to go far, explore, and experience a different environment, and UCI happened to be the farthest college from her home. Monica highlights that she wants to get her parents out their current situation. She pursues a higher education to receive a degree because that is the only thing she can do to help her parents. Monica’s parents are field workers. When I asked her why did she think she went as far as she did in school, she responds, “I always saw the struggle with my parents…I know what is like to live in Mexico…the hardships of coming here and the sacrifices my parents did for me.” Even though Monica was little when she lived in Mexico, she noticed the economic hardships her family has faced. Therefore, she feels the responsibility to pursue a higher education and provide her parents a better life. Monica demonstrates an example of a dual frame of reference because her motivation to improve is due to her experiences living in Mexico. When I asked her, if she ever wanted to go back to Mexico, she replied, “I would do it but to do something for the community…it bothers me how here [we are constantly upgrading] and you go over there and everything is the same.” According to Professor Feliciano, the concept of dual frame of reference is based on the individual’s
“The Hispanic Challenge,” by Samuel Huntington argues that the heavy and persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants is creating a division in United States. He states that this is not only a division of two peoples, but of two cultures and two languages. Huntington compares the Hispanic immigrant community in the United States to all the other immigrant groups in the country, and states how this group has not assimilated like the others. According to Huntington, some of the contributing factors to the gradual Hispanization of the United States include the proximity of the countries, income inequalities, increased availability of transportation, pride in Spanish language and ethnic culture, Mexican entitlement, high fertility rates among Hispanic
Needs: School Connectedness, Family Literacy, Family Engagement and Well-Being: Parents and Caregivers of Freire Wilmington students have few opportunities readily available in their communities to improve their knowledge and skills with regard to STEM, the Arts, Higher Education and Financial literacy- during the school year and in the summer. Parents and caregivers of Freire Wilmington students need opportunities to engage in STEM and Arts learning projects that can help them to develop a better understanding of the what their children are learning in school, and expose them to topics that can help them to prepare for future demands in their careers and higher education. Parents also need to develop a better understanding of higher education and what they can do to prepare themselves and their children to attend and succeed in college. Parents
Money, success, and status are the basis of most goals for the youth of today, which you know from all the applications you read for these scholarships. For me though, my goals are geared towards others, especially because I want to go into the field of medicine, a topic dedicated to selflessness and aiding those in need. My interest began when I was first accepted into my prestigious, application based, magnet high school. This school has a dedicated faculty and curriculum oriented towards healthcare allowing me to be exposed to the knowledge and experience that shape a physician.