Lopez 1 Alejandra Lopez Coon Intro to Writing Friday, December 13, 2013

Hispanic Future: Increasing the Latino Education

Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and third woman to become a Supreme Court Justice, is a prime example of the capability many Hispanics have to accomplish great things. Born on June 25, 1954, Sonia Sotomayor is the daughter to Juan and Celina Sotomayor, both Puerto Rican immigrants who had migrated to the United States during World War II (Gutierrez-Folch). At the age of 8, Sonia experienced many difficulties. At this time, Sonia was diagnosed with diabetes as well as being effected by her fathers death at the age of 9 who was a factory worker and had a third grade education. Sonias mother, who was a nurse, was left to work 2 jobs to provide for her two children and invoked the importance of receiving an education. Proud of her Puerto Rican roots, Sonia described herself as a Nuyoricancombination of both New Yorker roots and Puerto Rican heritage (Gutierrez-Folch). Growing up, school was difficult for me. Both my parents migrated to the United States from Mexico in the 80s and hardly knew any English although now they speak broken English. Neither of my parents ever finished school. My mother continued her schooling up until the 8th grade when she was forced to drop-out and help my grandfather in the field, planting and harvesting corn as well as milking the cows. My father stopped going to school at 6th grade, simply because he didnt like it and considered himself a dunce. Rarely was my father ever on

Lopez 2 time to school, which was hilariously ironic since my father lived next door to the school and just had to jump the fence to get there. My mother, on the other hand, has always expressed to me how she wished she could have finished school, with which she encourages me to finish school and continue on to college. Due to both my parents not knowing English and both of them not having finished school, neither of them were able to help me with homework as a small child. It was at an early age that I realized that my education was to be based sole on me. Im now a Senior preparing to go to college, Ill be the first to graduate high school and go to college, Im in the top 10% of my class, and Im greatly involved with my school. Im happy knowing that all I have achieved has been due to my own merits and although it was difficult, it was completely worth it. Perhaps thats why I admire Sonia Sotomayor immensely. It could have been that Sonias mother was not able to help her daughter with her schooling due to her working two jobs to support her children, but that makes me feel more connected to her. She too had to go through many obstacles to obtain what she has now.

Much of the inspiration leading to her dream of becoming involved with a career in the judicial branch was due to emerging herself in Nancy Drew novels after her fathers death. Unfortunately, her wish to become a detective much like Nancy Drew would not be possible due to her diabetes. This is when she discovered Perry Mason, the 1957 fictional attorney that ran though Columbia Broadcasting System. Sotomayor told CNN, "I noticed that [defense attorney] Perry Mason was involved in the same kind of investigative work that I had been fascinated with reading Nancy Drew, so I decided to become a lawyer, she told to the American Bar Association publication in 2000. "Once I focused on becoming a lawyer, I never deviated from that goal.(CNN). Sonia then continued on to complete her undergraduate studies at Princeton

Lopez 3 University where she graduated summa cum laude, meaning, with highest honor on a full-ride scholarship. Sotomayor then continued on to Yale Law for graduate school, leading her into the many judicial positions she has acquired though her three decade career. In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to the Supreme Court, giving her recognition for being the first Latina woman in the Supreme Court as well as acknowledging her immense intelligence and humbleness.

Fig. 1. President Barack Obama making his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, Washington D.C., 2009. CNN News Sonia Sotomayor is an extraordinary example of the capability many individuals have to achieve great things with higher education. Sadly, not many Hispanics are reaching high enough for a college or university education. Part of the problem I believe thats preventing the Hispanic population from post-secondary education are the stereotypes imposed on Hispanics like myself; for being lazy, high school drop-outs, or even being involved with gangs. We seem to take societys assumptions of ourselves at heart, to the point in which many of us begin to follow them out. As the Hispanic population continues to grow in the United States, change needs to be applied for the better being of the nations economy and the people within. This essay will

Lopez 4 address some of these large questions. In the 21st century, 3 main factors are questioned in mind as to why young Hispanics must continue with higher post-secondary schooling; what is preventing some students from higher education, are Hispanics being offered the resources needed for higher education (AP & organizations willing to help), and lastly, what actions are being made to improve Hispanic education on behalf of the United States and individual states like Utah. Even though the Hispanic education ratios have been undergoing significant changes, many still struggle to continue to maintain a gap between. Last year, [Hispanics] passed a milestone, with new high school graduates becoming more likely than their white counterpart to go directly to college, according to a new study. In 2012, Hispanics stood at 69 percent finishing high school; compared to 84 percent of Asians, 67 percent for whites, & 63 percent for blacks, compellingly better than previous years. On the students surveyed the fall of 2012, 14% of Latinos had neither finished high school nor were attending school, compared to the 28% that were not attending in 2000 (Perez-Pena). With these numbers, it can be thought that many Hispanics are beginning to see the importance of expanding the mind for better paying jobs and refrain from rigorous labor work, which had been well known to have been done by Hispanics for various decades. Hispanic students face some daunting circumstances when the subject on hand is education. 9 out of 10 Hispanics believe that higher education is necessary for a better life (ratio higher than other ethnic groups). The survey released by the Pew Hispanic Center,

Lopez 5 suggest several reasons for the divide between aspiration & reality. (USA Today). What Pew Hispanic Center means is that many Hispanics find going to college or university as a dream that only the privileged few have. Many circumstances prevent or stop Hispanics from higher education; need to help support family financially, feel their English skills are poor, dont believe they can afford to go to college, and dont have high enough grades. Not liking school and feeling that they no longer need further education are what people and the government find to be poor excuses as for not excelling their skills and knowledge. A dilemma then arises. What about the Hispanic students trying everything in their power to achieve their dream of going to a four year University? Are these students receiving the necessary rigorous courses needed to prepare them for a university? Author of the article, Black & Hispanic Students Get Fewer Advanced Classes and Science Labs at City High Schools, Ben Chapman of the New York Daily News speaks of the unequal educational treatment of different ethnic groups. Chapman states, Many of the schools that Whites and Asians attend have a higher amount of advanced placement, college credit courses and science labs rather than Hispanic and Black attending schools. Many feel cheated out of opportunities to suppurate themselves. Could the unavailability of these courses to Hispanics be also pushing them back? School districts need to have these courses available to those students that want them, whether it be a mostly Hispanic attending school or not. With these courses being more accessible to Hispanics, the high school graduations could rise and the gap between finishing high school and continuing on to college could diminish from the percentile we have today. Solving a way to improve our Hispanics education wont be an overnight solution and will perhaps take a decade or two to begin setting a foundation to a more educated Latino and Hispanic community. In the most recent years, the government and statewide officials have

Lopez 6 touched upon the importance of the Hispanic community obtaining a post-secondary education, whether its technical school or a four year University. During the reelection of Barack Obama in 2009, the president proposed a bill that would allow young immigrants to study and work within the United States if they had entered within a certain time period and a certain age which was then called The Dream Act. Once changes were made by Congress to fit their standard, the bill allowed a select amount of applicants to receive the permit. President Obama makes it clear that the most important thing facing our country today is the need of improving the country in order to not outsource for jobs. To achieve these goals, the Latino community must have a higher education (United States, Department of Education). Conclusion With the United States rapidly growing, it is estimated that by the year 2050, the majority of the nation will have some type of Latino or Hispanic descend. To have a well-educated and financially stable nation in the future, we must now take the initiative to lay ground work on Hispanic education as well as obliterate the stereotypes imposed on Hispanic students. Now is the time to make a difference for the better of the country.

Lopez 7 Work Cited Firth, Shannon. "How Immigrant and US-Born Latinos Adapt." How Immigrant and US-Born Latinos Adapt. Dulcinea Media, Inc., 18 Dec. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/2009/dec/How-Immigrant-and-USBorn-Latinos-Adapt.html>. Gutierrez-Folch, Anita. "Happy Birthday, Sonia Sotomayor, First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice." Happy Birthday, Sonia Sotomayor, First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. Dulcinea Media, Inc., 25 June 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/profiles/s/sonia-sotomayor.html>. Keck, Kristi, and Robert Yoon. "Who Is Sonia Sotomayor?" CNN. Cable News Network, 26 May 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/26/sotomayor.bio/>. Perez-Pena, Richard. "As Latinos Make Gain in Education, Gaps Remain." NY Times. The New York Times Company, 9 May 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/education/latinos-sharply-narrow-educationgap.html?_r=0>. Rich, Motoko. "For Young Latino Readers, an Image Is Missing." NY Times. The New York Times Company, 4 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/education/young-latino-students-dont-seethemselves-in-books.html>.

Lopez 8 Toppo, Greg. "Education." Hispanic Students Aspire to Higher Education but Face Barriers. USA Today, 7 Oct. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-07-hispanic-college_n.htm>. Torres, Craig. "Hispanic Workers Show 80% Without College in U.S. Crisis." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 14 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/201211-14/hispanic-workers-lack-education-as-numbers-grow-in-u-s-.html>.