In relation to being expected to
fail in the workforce, the same goes for education in regards to Latinos. There
is an assumption that Latinos will not succeed in higher education. “Young
Latinos are satisfied with their lives, optimistic about their futures and
place a high value on education…yet they are much more likely than other
American youths to drop out of school …These are attitudes and behaviors that,
through history, have often been associated with the immigrant experience. But
most Latino youths are not immigrants. Two-thirds
were born in the United States, many of them descendants of the big, ongoing
wave of Latin American immigrants who began coming to this country around
1965.” (Pew Hispanic Center)
Latinos are expected, by society, to fail and to be inferior due to what
is seen in statistics. Unfortunately, most of the time the issue remains a
problem within society; not the Latino race. Due to the expectation of failure
– Latinos, and poverty based minority schools lack the proper resources, and
information needed to succeed in higher education.
. It is imperative that society
begins to support rather than discourage. With the proper information and help,
Latinos are succeeding and the negative statistics are decreasing; “The college
enrollment of Latinos is projected to increase faster than other groups.”(Santiago, A Deborah.) Not only will
higher education help Latinos succeed, but it will help close equity gaps
throughout the United States. “Latino educational attainment is crucial for the
U.S. to meet its future societal and workforce needs for three main reasons: 1)
the Latino population is growing rapidly and will make up a greater percent of
the U.S. population by 2020; 2) Latino educational attainment is currently
lower than that of other groups; and 3)many economically competitive jobs in
the U.S. will soon require education beyond a high school degree…Latinos will
have to earn 5.5 million degrees to close equity gaps…”(Santiago, A Deborah.)
Now there is an
increase in organizations that support and encourage success for Latinos
specifically in higher education. An example of this would be conferences held
by ILACHE, or Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education. This conference
consists of keynote speakers, and presentations that inform both students and
administrators what can be done to ensure success. The presentations offer a variety
of information such as, how to advance student retention, how to define and
realize personal dreams, how to manage money properly throughout an educational
career, and knowledge that should be known when entering higher education that
is not usually taught in high school. It is a very inspirational experience
that encourages Latinos to fight against the negative statistics and prove that
success can be reached. ILACHE also offers scholarships to students who display
a great amount of community service, hard work, and ambition. My own experience
at the ILACHE conference gave me inspiration to continue with my education
regardless of the doubts that people have of me, and obstacles that I may
encounter along the way.
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