Latino Student Leadership Institute 2015 Preparations

I’m working on the application and invitation letter for our incoming Latina/o students. They should be in the mail by the end of the week.

I hope we get another strong group this year. Last year’s group included several non-traditional students and more transfer students than the previous year. Although a smaller group, we had great interactions and enjoyed the site! Black Rock Retreat had a lot of outdoor activity sites and meeting rooms for our use!

A pause in the swinging!

Alumni, faculty, staff, and participants

Notice the swing set. Even young adults enjoy a good push! The visit with alumni, faculty, and staff was a highlight of the weekend.

Local and National Trends: A Call for Need Based Scholarships

One of my students told me that I should be posting more regularly.  Recent reports on Latina/o higher education and earnings prompted this entry.

A study published by TIAA-CREF (I am a contributor through my employer sponsored retirement plan) found that college educated Latinas/os struggle financially https://www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org/public/pdf/hispanic_personal_finances.pdf We know that Latinas/os earn less than other racial/ethnic groups http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p60-249.pdf. The fact that even college educated Latinas/os experience financial insecurity should be no surprise!

When I am told that Latinas/os don’t want to take student loans, that seems like a rational decision to me especially when the return on education is not equivalent to the returns for other racial/ethnic groups http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-14.pdf

Where does this lead me? I advocate strongly for need based scholarships particularly for Latinas/os. As the Latina/o population continues to grow  http://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/05/12/statistical-portrait-of-hispanics-in-the-united-states-1980-2013-trends/  we would do well as a nation (and Commonwealth) to support Latinas/os’ pursuit of higher education by making it affordable without the burden of crushing student loan debt. I admire the efforts of http://www.hacu.net/hacu/default.asp to provide scholarships and internships, but these opportunities do not benefit the Latinas/os attending predominantly white institutions. An alternative is https://hsf.net/ This national organization also provides scholarships.

To my readers, if you have any suggestions for increasing scholarship opportunities for Latinas/os in Pennsylvania or wish to provide a link to local scholarships for Latinas/os, please post it in your comments. I’ll start by offering this one: http://www.estamosunidospa.org/ The deadline is June 1, students!