Lee College, Baytown, Texas, May 28, 2009
"Think outside the box, be creative, consider other possibilities, and then act on these possibilities and stay the course."
There are few good jobs in today’s economy for people without a college education, according to Rice University Professor Stephen Klineberg. . .
Education gives you tools, ways of thinking needed to build a good life―one that benefits you, your family, and your society. And, when one door closes, you have ways of analyzing and solving problems that enable you to open another door. . . Education explodes the size of your world. Education is power and it is powerful, and Education is the only possession you can never lose, unlike so many other things in our lives. In addition, education it is invaluable wherever you go and in whichever country you finally choose to live.
We are a knowledge-based society, says Klineberg of Rice University . . . “What you earn depends on what you’ve learned.” Cities like ours needs and wants creative, knowledgeable and skilled individuals. When you have that knowledge and those skills, you are freer. You can live anywhere. Poverty of the type many Hispanics in the US experience, or experienced in their home countries, can become a thing of the past. Economically speaking, education is the great equalizer.
Yet there is a problem. Hispanic students in general, and immigrant Hispanic students in particular, do not take advantage of higher education opportunities like their peers from other ethnic groups. Not here in the Greater Houston area. Not elsewhere in the US. This is important because Houston, like many cities, faces a serious challenge: How to reverse a troubling and stubborn trend. As Whites (or Anglos) fail to replace their numbers (historically the educated), Hispanics, as an ethnic group, continue to be the fastest growing and least well educated among all groups. If the US is to continue to prosper and to continue to be a land of opportunity, then you must help, you must prepare yourself to assume positions in business and government and you must be prepared to carry the baton of freedom and economic development that helped make the US great.
[Hispanics are the largest population in the Houston area, 1% more than white. In 1980, Whites (or Anglos) made up 62% of Harris County’s population and Hispanics 15 – 16%; in 2006, Anglos are a minority at 36 – 37 % while Hispanics are the majority at 38%. (Klineberg, 2008)]
[48 % of Hispanic immigrant students do not finish high school; only 8 % finish college, compared to 5 % of Anglos who do not finish HS and the 29% who finish college.(Klineberg, 2008)]
So, what is going on? While there may be bias on the outside, the greatest obstacle to higher education for Hispanics is the limit you place on yourselves in your minds. That does not mean you are less intelligent that someone with a college education. It is what you expect from life, what you think is possible, not what actually is possible. The limits on development can be internal, or they can come from pressures and/or influences of family, friends and/or the community.
The roles we play, our achievements, the type of occupations we choose, whom we marry, how we raise our children, our religious beliefs, etc.) are largely dictated by the influences and expectations of three key groups―our families, our community, and our friends (i.e., our peers), and especially our peers when we are adolescents. So, choose your friends carefully.
I believe, if you young Latinos support one another’s dream and right to a higher education and you are adequately mentored so you know the way to college and completion, low expectations will disappear as more of you become educated and the low-education stereotypes you hold for yourselves will be no more. Peer Support and mentoring are key here and these young women here tonight can vouch for that.
Granted there are many, many obstacles in the path of immigrant students in acquiring valuable education, knowledge and skills. Money and status are two such obstacles. But these are primarily excuses and not reasons not to succeed. You will work hard in life in whatever you try to do. Why not work hard to achieve an education that will give you and the ones you love a better life.
In regards to legality of status issues: Students attending a Texas high school for 3 yrs before graduating can still pay in-state tuition as a Texas resident, as opposed to International. If you took the recommended courses, the Texas Grant is available for low-income students, but you must apply early. The DREAM Act, which affects immigrant students who want to stay in the US, has been reintroduced and has more of a chance of passing than ever before. It has the President’s support.
Last week President Obama and his Administration joined Microsoft, the College Board, US colleges and Universities, in publicly supporting the DREAM Act, “I support the DREAM Act 100 percent," he said. Specifically in reference to immigrant students he said, "These students are now children of the United States, and it is very likely that they will remain in this country." He also said, he wants more students to have the opportunity to go to college, and to have access to more resources, scholarships, and loans.
The second obstacle to a higher education is cost. But cost is not a valid excuse either. Many scholarships are available for Hispanic students and, while harder to find, a number of them do not require citizenship or permanent residency. During the scholarship season, they are listed on our site and on other education-oriented websites. And you can attend and finish college without a scholarship. You will work hard, true, but you are not afraid of working hard. You will do that anyway in life. Absent scholarship, you can work your way through, as one of our students here tonight did and graduated with honors in International Business last weekend from the University of Houston Downtown.
So, what I am saying to you, and to your parents, ‘Think outside the box, be creative, consider other possibilities, and then act on these possibilities and stay the course.’ This is the message I am trying to communicate in Amigas Latinas for College and hopefully someday Amigos Latinos for College. By now you may be beginning to understand my philosophy and the reason I founded Amigas Latinas for College.
"Think outside the box, be creative, consider other possibilities, and then act on these possibilities and stay the course."
There are few good jobs in today’s economy for people without a college education, according to Rice University Professor Stephen Klineberg. . .
Education gives you tools, ways of thinking needed to build a good life―one that benefits you, your family, and your society. And, when one door closes, you have ways of analyzing and solving problems that enable you to open another door. . . Education explodes the size of your world. Education is power and it is powerful, and Education is the only possession you can never lose, unlike so many other things in our lives. In addition, education it is invaluable wherever you go and in whichever country you finally choose to live.
We are a knowledge-based society, says Klineberg of Rice University . . . “What you earn depends on what you’ve learned.” Cities like ours needs and wants creative, knowledgeable and skilled individuals. When you have that knowledge and those skills, you are freer. You can live anywhere. Poverty of the type many Hispanics in the US experience, or experienced in their home countries, can become a thing of the past. Economically speaking, education is the great equalizer.
Yet there is a problem. Hispanic students in general, and immigrant Hispanic students in particular, do not take advantage of higher education opportunities like their peers from other ethnic groups. Not here in the Greater Houston area. Not elsewhere in the US. This is important because Houston, like many cities, faces a serious challenge: How to reverse a troubling and stubborn trend. As Whites (or Anglos) fail to replace their numbers (historically the educated), Hispanics, as an ethnic group, continue to be the fastest growing and least well educated among all groups. If the US is to continue to prosper and to continue to be a land of opportunity, then you must help, you must prepare yourself to assume positions in business and government and you must be prepared to carry the baton of freedom and economic development that helped make the US great.
[Hispanics are the largest population in the Houston area, 1% more than white. In 1980, Whites (or Anglos) made up 62% of Harris County’s population and Hispanics 15 – 16%; in 2006, Anglos are a minority at 36 – 37 % while Hispanics are the majority at 38%. (Klineberg, 2008)]
[48 % of Hispanic immigrant students do not finish high school; only 8 % finish college, compared to 5 % of Anglos who do not finish HS and the 29% who finish college.(Klineberg, 2008)]
So, what is going on? While there may be bias on the outside, the greatest obstacle to higher education for Hispanics is the limit you place on yourselves in your minds. That does not mean you are less intelligent that someone with a college education. It is what you expect from life, what you think is possible, not what actually is possible. The limits on development can be internal, or they can come from pressures and/or influences of family, friends and/or the community.
The roles we play, our achievements, the type of occupations we choose, whom we marry, how we raise our children, our religious beliefs, etc.) are largely dictated by the influences and expectations of three key groups―our families, our community, and our friends (i.e., our peers), and especially our peers when we are adolescents. So, choose your friends carefully.
I believe, if you young Latinos support one another’s dream and right to a higher education and you are adequately mentored so you know the way to college and completion, low expectations will disappear as more of you become educated and the low-education stereotypes you hold for yourselves will be no more. Peer Support and mentoring are key here and these young women here tonight can vouch for that.
Granted there are many, many obstacles in the path of immigrant students in acquiring valuable education, knowledge and skills. Money and status are two such obstacles. But these are primarily excuses and not reasons not to succeed. You will work hard in life in whatever you try to do. Why not work hard to achieve an education that will give you and the ones you love a better life.
In regards to legality of status issues: Students attending a Texas high school for 3 yrs before graduating can still pay in-state tuition as a Texas resident, as opposed to International. If you took the recommended courses, the Texas Grant is available for low-income students, but you must apply early. The DREAM Act, which affects immigrant students who want to stay in the US, has been reintroduced and has more of a chance of passing than ever before. It has the President’s support.
Last week President Obama and his Administration joined Microsoft, the College Board, US colleges and Universities, in publicly supporting the DREAM Act, “I support the DREAM Act 100 percent," he said. Specifically in reference to immigrant students he said, "These students are now children of the United States, and it is very likely that they will remain in this country." He also said, he wants more students to have the opportunity to go to college, and to have access to more resources, scholarships, and loans.
The second obstacle to a higher education is cost. But cost is not a valid excuse either. Many scholarships are available for Hispanic students and, while harder to find, a number of them do not require citizenship or permanent residency. During the scholarship season, they are listed on our site and on other education-oriented websites. And you can attend and finish college without a scholarship. You will work hard, true, but you are not afraid of working hard. You will do that anyway in life. Absent scholarship, you can work your way through, as one of our students here tonight did and graduated with honors in International Business last weekend from the University of Houston Downtown.
So, what I am saying to you, and to your parents, ‘Think outside the box, be creative, consider other possibilities, and then act on these possibilities and stay the course.’ This is the message I am trying to communicate in Amigas Latinas for College and hopefully someday Amigos Latinos for College. By now you may be beginning to understand my philosophy and the reason I founded Amigas Latinas for College.
No comments:
Post a Comment