Posted on 11/30/2004 3:10:42 AM PST by risk
Nov 27, 2004
By CHRIS ECHEGARAY
cechegaray@tampatrib.com
TAMPA - Elida Molina spent hours poring over the Internet her senior year, searching for information on college financial aid and scholarships, her frustrations mounting.
She had little support at home. Her mother, a migrant worker with seven children, dropped out after middle school in Mexico and didn't put a premium on education.
``I was stressing over the college applications,'' said Molina, 19. ``I was not good with the standardized tests, the SATs and ACTs, and then you have my mother not really understanding how hard it was to maintain good grades.''
Molina, a sophomore majoring in mass communications at the University of South Florida in Tampa, is stunned at the scramble by organizations to attract and guide the burgeoning Latino high school student population through the maze of higher education.
``They are finally noticing, seeing how hard it is,'' said Molina, a graduate of Lake Region High in Polk County.
Latino students and their parents don't know enough about college requirements and financial aid, according to a recent study backed by the Sallie Mae Fund. Without a strong command of English, Latino students see reaching required SAT and ACT scores as a Herculean task. Many have little or no help at home.
Even so, the numbers show there is strong potential for even more Latino college enrollment. Florida university system data from 2000 to 2003 show a nearly 38 percent increase in Latinos enrolling as first-time freshmen - 5,594 Latinos who enrolled as first- time college students in 2003, compared with 4,059 in 2000.
The Sallie Mae Fund, a branch of the college loan organization, and Ember Media, a CD-ROM publishing company, are among several groups in a nationwide push targeting Latinos.
Sallie Mae Fund representatives travel to high schools, with a focus on college applications and their deadlines. Ember Media distributed an interactive CD throughout Hillsborough County and elsewhere to walk Latino students through the college admissions process.
The mobilization is spurred by U.S. Census Bureau projections: by 2050, 1 of 4 people in the United States will be a person of Latino origin.
Allaying Fears
Orlando Espinosa, a representative for the Sallie Mae Fund, has traveled cross-country on a colorful bus to more than 100 high schools since September. Last week, Espinosa spoke to more than 30 students in the media room at Alonso High School in Tampa. In Spanglish, a combination of English and Spanish, he explains that applying to college doesn't have to be frightening.
``The possibility of going to college, not knowing what to do makes it very difficult,'' he said after the presentation. ``They want to know who they can approach.''
Catherine Bravo, 17, an Alonso senior, sat in the audience. Tall with an athletic build, she is applying to the University of Tampa and the University of Miami and dreams of playing college volleyball.
``The reason you come over here is for that better life and to live your dream,'' Bravo said. ``That's why my parents moved here, and that's what you think about. This is why I came to learn about the college process.''
Before moving to Tampa a year ago, Bravo was enrolled in a private school in Puerto Rico, where English was a 45-minute class each day. She is one of 18,000 students in Hillsborough County's English for Speakers of Other Languages program.
Bravo easily could get into a good four-year college if English were her first language, said Helen Soash, Alonso's guidance resource specialist. But some schools won't take time to consider applicants with questionable SAT scores and language skills.
``You want them to look at these kids,'' Soash said. ``They are great students. The big schools are not going to devote the time to kids who don't meet their requirements.''
Finding Guidance
Jennifer Young, bilingual guidance resource specialist for Hillsborough County, said her job is part of the solution. The position was created nearly three years ago in response to a Latino student population boom.
``Aside from the ACT and SAT, some of the biggest challenges for them are making the deadlines,'' Young said. ``That is something they need to work on, but they are getting involved and know what to do.''
Elida Molina's guidance came from her older sister, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Central Florida.
The outcome for some of her high school schoolmates, however, was a bit different.
``A majority dropped out,'' she said. ``Some couldn't afford college, and they didn't go. Smarts kids didn't end up going.''
Reporter Chris Echegaray can be
This story can be found at: http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBXG8D712E.html
Birth of a Salesman, Instead of running toward the Internet spotlight, Banks worked in the shadows and developed strong relationships with lasting industry organizations, colleges and Fortune 500 firms. For instance, Banks serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Minorities in Communications (www.namic.com), or NAMIC. ... Through NAMIC, Ember Media recently reached out to President Clinton, who agreed to appear on a CD-ROM that serves Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The CD-ROM includes paid sponsorships from several Fortune 500 companies. The sponsors eagerly signed on Ember’s dotted line when they heard of president Clinton’s participation.
Former President Clinton is pushing this CDROM in a short, Bay Area late nite TV ad.
Only a fool wouldn't put "Hispanic" on a college application form. Easier admission and free money.
Stop whining. If you want to go to college, you'll figure out how and go do it.
"Funny, you don't look Hispanic." Do they ever check?
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