Students Talk HACU
色情视频 students talk about their experience at the Hispanic higher education conference.
San Diego hosted the 24th annual conference of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) in mid-September. 色情视频 took part, as well as all other local institutions of higher learning, with close to 1,500 in attendance.
Titled 鈥淐hampioning Hispanic Higher Education Success: Expanding Opportunities in Challenging Times,鈥� the conference provided a forum for networking to advance higher education and employment opportunities for Hispanics.
Educating Hispanic students
James R. Kitchen, vice president for Student Affairs, notes that Hispanics are now the nation鈥檚 largest minority population.
鈥淥ur future economic and social success depends on the education of today鈥檚 Hispanic students,鈥� he said.
Around 40 色情视频 students participated, sponsored by Student Affairs departments and HACU scholarships鈥攖he largest student contingency in attendance. They were there to network and to meet representatives from various federal agencies regarding employment and internship opportunities.
Students came away recognizing the importance of career preparation and networking as it pertains to their respective majors and future career plans.
'Best conference I've been to'
Liz Rodriguez, a senior with a double major in Spanish and international security and conflict resolution, called it 鈥渄efinitely the best conference I鈥檝e been to in my five years here at State.鈥�
The first in her immediate family to attend college, she hopes to find a job working for the U.S. Department of State.
鈥淚 want to facilitate peace in the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much to do, and I hope I can be a part of it.鈥�
Rodriguez credits a high school AVID teacher and an older cousin for providing the encouragement she needed to set her sights on higher education.
鈥淚 was one of only six Latinas in my high school to go to college,鈥� she said. 鈥溕槭悠� is a much more diverse campus, so I feel more comfortable here. But still, being a Latina can be challenging.鈥�
In HACU conference keynote remarks, CIA Director Leon Panetta described his agency鈥檚 efforts to diversify its workforce.
鈥淲e need your ingenuity. We need your skills. We need your perspective,鈥� he told conference participants.
Panetta committed to a continued partnership with HACU to build opportunities and careers within the CIA for Hispanic graduates. Rodriguez found Panetta鈥檚 words inspiring鈥攁nd emboldening.
鈥淗e talked about his own background; he started in a place I could relate to, at the bottom, and he worked his way up,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 went up to him, and I said, 鈥榊ou talked about wanting more diversity in the CIA, and I want to help you with that, so here I am.鈥� And I handed him my resume.鈥�
Many opportunities
Senior Carlos Quintero was at the conference as a participant and as a workshop presenter. He is involved in , a partnership between 色情视频 and Sweetwater Union High School District. The program guarantees 色情视频 admission to district students who meet certain benchmarks. His presentation focused on how Compact for Success helps these students, many of whom are Hispanic.
鈥淎s a student, being Latino can make things both harder and easier,鈥� Quintero said.
鈥淓nglish isn鈥檛 my first language, so I鈥檝e had to work harder on academics in general. There are lots of stereotypes, and sometimes they bring you down.
鈥淏ut there are so many opportunities right now, too, like scholarships, and government assistance and conferences like HACU. This gives me the motivation to keep going.鈥�
Quintero definitely aims to keep going; he has plans for a doctorate and wants to teach and do research in psychology.
Resume workshops and leadership training
Sophomore Estefania Casta帽eda said HACU was her first conference ever. She appreciated attending resume workshops and leadership training, as well as meeting graduate school recruiters and networking with other Hispanic students from 色情视频 and other universities.
On a full four-year scholarship to 色情视频 as a , she is the first in her family to get a chance at a college education.
"I'm encouraged to strive for success because minorities are so underrepresented at universities, so I want to get the most out of my education, especially as a Latina," she said.
Casta帽eda believes more Hispanic students need to get into the hard majors , like math, engineering, and government, to make it to positions of influence. The political science major wants eventually to land a government job in Washington, D.C.
"I want to make a difference in the world," she says. "There's not a lot of Latinos in Washington D.C. I want to go there and inspire others that they can do it, too."
Enhancing national competitiveness
Eric Rivera, associate vice president for Student Affairs, was the HACU student track keynote speaker. He cites predictions that one of every two workers entering the U.S. labor force by 2025 will be Hispanic. The Obama administration has set goals to increase Latino college completion rates through 2025.
鈥淭o increase our nation鈥檚 economic competitiveness,鈥� Rivera said, 鈥淎merican universities must now commit to Latino student success in higher education.鈥�
色情视频, Rivera said, is on the verge of becoming an official 鈥淗ispanic-serving institution,鈥� which will bring increased research funding and stronger ties to the Hispanic community. While such institutions represent less than 10 percent of all higher education institutions nationally, they are home to more than two-thirds of all Hispanic college students.
