By Lauren Huffman
(6 April 2010) Students, faculty and community members came out to celebrate the first Latino education and Advocacy day Illinois State University on March 29. The Summit featured panels of hybrid community live Web casting with sessions from Headquarters lead day at the University of California, San Bernardino, California. The celebration has proven to be a great opportunity for the community Illinois State address issues that Latinos face in their quest for education.
The Summit began with a morning session Web cast from the headquarters of San Bernardino. The celebration kicked off with Sylvia Mendez, legendary activist, who spoke the desegregation case of 1946 revolutionary, Mendez v. Westminster.
The student panel featured members of the Association of Latin American students (alas) and the Student Association for bilingual education (SABE), two of Hispanic registered student organizations on campus.
Elementary education Major, Claudia Lamas, Alma Martinez and Liliana Silva and Carlos Trejo and Alva Gomez, marketing and political science Major, attended the session. They spoke about the trials and triumphs of Latinos to pursue higher education.
Student speakers described perhaps what could be the reason why a population low of Latinos in college. Many of them recognized the fact that they themselves had to build their applications to College and complete FAFSA and other financial assistance documents all by yourself.
"Many Latinos do not understand the option that should go away," said senior Liliana Silva. Silva, the first of his family to attend college far from home, believes that students and their families need to be made more aware of financial aid, scholarships and grants that are available out there for them.
Junior Carlos Trejo believes that students and their families should be informed better resources out there, and that it is necessary to recruit Latino students colleges. "It is not embedded in them that need to go to higher education, but the resources are there," he said.
The Panel talked about their College experience Illinois State University. While the consensus was that it was "a huge cultural shock" for their students, adapted from getting involved and reaching out for resources that Illinois was provided.
Registered student organizations have had a great impact on the lives of these five students. Students described feeling alone and insecure, even outnumbered due to the fact that they are a minority. Student groups SABE and ALAS helped the transition to college life a little easier and opened the doors for these students to new opportunities and new people.
Despite the low instance of Latinos attending universities, students described their motivations which led them to Illinois State University. Junior Claudia Lama said what motivated to go away for a University was that he wanted to be "a model for my brothers. If they see me succeed, they'll know that they can too. "
Junior Alva Gomez described his high school days, while working three part-time work different. In one of his works, his colleagues praised him for his training as a wish that once he had obtained them. A contributor also said that if she did not attend college, you might end up working in that same work part-time for the rest of his life, just like his colleagues would be.
Gomez wants people to know that if you can do it, they can too. She wants to Latinos attending college so that they can "show the next generation that they can too."
"Their knowledge, social capital, culture and desire to make a change and break stereotypes had much to offer at the Summit," said Dr. Jacqueline Romano, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and instruction and co-Chair of the planning day lead.
Dr. Romano was pleased with the turnout. Students, teachers, administrators and community members were able to hear and consider a variety of issues that Latinos in education face together. "It was an interesting to have the prospect of all," said Romano.
"Many students [Latin] they felt powerless and voiceless without space to summon the cultural experiences that they are facing," he says. "This is the beginning of a voice recognition to ISU Latin."
Roman has impressed everyone gathered to detach the event, and he felt that all taught a lot about the culture of Latinos and the current challenge to meet the educational needs of Latinos.
In general, lead day incorporated 183,926 people involved in the world on Monday as 50 campuses, 4 Latin American countries and individuals viewing sessions via Web cast and on NBC radio helped cross borders.
Due to the lead, "people are now aware of the space to deal with this problem," he says.
Next year, Roman wants to lead day of a cross-campus, including students, faculty and administrators from all schools and departments, and she wants to give voice to other minorities.
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