VOA标准英语2010年-Young Latinos Get a Push for Education

Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the US population, but are the least likely to get college degrees

Faiza Elmasry | Washington, DC 30 March 2010

 
Photo: Hispanic College Fund
Latino students attend an Hispanic College Fund event aimed at providing them with the tools they need to get into college and obtain the financial aid they might require.

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Hispanic College Fund

Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population but Latino students are the least likely to get college degrees.

According to the Hispanic College Fund, that's mainly because of the lack of role models, poverty and being unprepared to navigate¹ through the American educational system.

Providing tools

The nonprofit Hispanic College Fund (HCF) is working to change that by providing Latino youth with the information and tools they need to pursue a college degree in order to become more competitive in the 21st century economy.

University of Maryland freshman² Karen Guzman has big plans for her future.

"I'm actually trying to [get a] double degree in computer science and psychology³, with a minor⁴ in Latin American studies." The 18-year-old says her dreams have become possible thanks to a scholarship from the Hispanic College Fund, which is dedicated⁵ to developing the next generation of Hispanic professionals.

The annual Hispanic Youth Symposium⁶ offers an opportunity for young Latinos to build networks and self esteem⁷.

Guzman says she was inspired to pursue a college education three years ago after attending one of HCF's programs, a four-day Hispanic youth symposium.

Reaching out

"That was the first time I saw so many young Latinos like me saying, 'I'm here in college and you can do it,' because before that I didn't have that, I guess, role model to look up to," she says. "Everyone I knew was either dropping out or their plans were not to go to college."

Robert Arenas⁸, Jr., attended a Hispanic youth symposium last summer where he heard from Latin professionals.

Many young people who attend the Hispanic Youth Symposiums say they hope to return one day as successful professionals to inspire other kids.

"They said they went to college," he says. "It gave me hope. I say, 'They did it, so I can do it, too.' I hope someday, once I have a career and everything, to come back to the Hispanic youth symposium and talk to those kids just like what those guys did to me."

The 17-year-old is now a high school senior. His father says the symposium inspired his son and filled him with hope and determination.

"You cannot believe it. When Robert came back, he was another boy," he says. "He was so happy."

Big dreams

Like many other Hispanic parents who immigrated⁹ to the United States, Robert Arenas, Sr. doesn't know much about the U.S. educational system. Yet, he says, he knows a college degree is essential if his son is to have a better future.

Latino high schoolers say they find the Hispanic College Fund's events informative¹⁰, inspiring and entertaining.

"I want to see Robert, my son, like Ms. Sotomayor," he says, referring to the first Latina Supreme¹¹ Court Justice. "So we say, 'Robert I'm working so hard, your Mom and myself, so you have to go to college. You have to go to the university, to get a degree in something. That's the only way you can reward us.'"

The Hispanic College Fund fills the gap for students like Robert and Karen - whose parents realize how important higher education is but are unable to guide them through the process. The fund was established six years ago to give young Latinos the information they need to apply for college and the self esteem to succeed once they get there. Program founder¹² George Cushman says many young Hispanics think they are not smart enough to go to college.

Investing in the future

"What we have to do is change that thinking completely because these kids are fantastic," says Cushman. "In Virginia, I had a number of students come up to me when they found out that I had actually set this program up and they said, 'Thank you for believing in us.'"

Cushman believes motivating and helping¹³ Hispanic youth get college degrees is an investment in the future of both the students and the nation.

"In America, there's many people like me in their 50s and 60s. They are highly educated. They are the engineers, the doctors, the lawyers, the health care professionals, the teachers. They are all hitting the exit doors because it's time to retire soon," he says. "The largest fastest-growing student population to follow in our footsteps is Hispanic, but they're getting college degrees late.You can feel the vacuum forming. If we don't fix that, it's going to hurt the economy. It's going to hurt the security of the country."

The symposiums are just the first step of HCF's program to help Latino students succeed in their professional lives.

"Once our students have gone through that, they then have year-round programming through the Hispanic Youth Institute," says Anne Guarnera, a fund spokesperson. "So that helps us to support them as they move along and get closer to actually going to college. Once in college, with a scholarship program, that supports students financially as well as emotionally and helps them with the process of integrating into their schools."

"It was amazing," says Karen Guzman, who also took part in the youth Institute. "We got to go to different companies, talk to different people in different fields and get mentors¹⁵. We keep in touch. My mentor¹⁴ still tells me, 'Apply to this program,' 'How are you doing in your classes?' So I know someone cares for me, someone who is not just like 'I'm here,' then they never keep the communication. They are there constantly."

With the guidance of successful professionals and the help of the Hispanic College Fund network, Guzman says she feels all doors are open to her. Now it's up to her to work hard and achieve her dreams - for herself, for her parents who never went to college, and for those students who will follow in her footsteps.
 

1 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

2 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

3 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

6 symposium   

n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集

参考例句：

• What have you learned from the symposium?你参加了这次科学讨论会有什么体会？
• The specialists and scholars present at the symposium come from all corners of the country.出席研讨会的专家学者们来自全国各地。

7 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

8 arenas   

表演场地( arena的名词复数 )； 竞技场； 活动或斗争的场所或场面； 圆形运动场

参考例句：

• Demolition derbies are large-scale automobile rodeos that take place in big arenas. 撞车比赛指的是在很大的竞技场上举行的大型汽车驾驶技术表演。
• Are there areas of privacy in the most public of arenas? 在绝大部分公开的场合中存在需要保护隐私的领域吗？

9 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

10 informative   

adj.提供资料的，增进知识的

参考例句：

• The adverts are not very informative.这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。
• This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.这本引人入胜的书既有思想性又富知识性。

11 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

14 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

15 mentors   

n.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友，比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
• These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网