The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
– Chinese Proverb
Higher education after high school is an opportunity that Lara Media feels everyone should have. Many Latino youth face barriers and have challenges that can prevent them from obtaining a college education such as; financial barriers, documentation barriers, lack of family support, the fear of deportation and/or family members getting deported, and a lack of Latino mentors to help students guide them through the higher education process. For this reason, Lara Media has decided to produce a video about the process of applying for college and the hardships that many of these young Latinos face. The video will consist of interviews with Latino high school seniors from around the Pacific Northwest that are graduating and headed off to college in the fall. We want them to be seen as role models and examples to the younger generation.
Inspiring Latino youth is important and necessary, because the dropout rate is not going down at a fast rate like we would like. According to the Pew Research Hispanic Center, data shows that in 2011, 14% of 16-24 year old were high school dropouts. Although this percentage is lower than 28% in 2000, there are still educational attainment gaps. Latino students are less likely to go to a 4-year college, less likely to attend a selective college, enroll full time, and less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree. The act of inspiring someone is a gift, and only students themselves who have been through so much can inspire others to continue down the long and bumpy road, knowing that they will get so much in return.
This video will tell an impactful and compelling story that will inspire young Latinos to pursue a higher education. For example, Lara Media team is made up college students and college graduates which have worked hard to get through college, and they have done so successfully with the help from friends, family, Lara Media, organizations, mentors, but most importantly, because of their perseverance, motivation, and their own passion to continue onto higher education. Lara Media is proud to say that we have different professions, not just marketing. We are made up of accounting and finance, community health, industrial and mechanical engineering, social work, physical education and sports science, Spanish, sociology, architecture, graphic design, business, and communication studies.
Over Memorial Day weekend, some of our staff members had the privilege of hearing very compelling stories of their struggles, successes, goals, and motivation to go onto higher education. They were the winners of our scholarship program in which Lara Media will help for books and supplies. Lara Media staff felt really touched by the student’s stories because it reflects the struggles that some went through as well. This is just the first phase of this process. Lara Media will continue to be in touch with the students so stay tuned for more updates on how the filming process is going and when we expect to have the video finished.
We thank the students and their families who participated in this process and we cannot wait until we can show you the finished product of the student’s hard work and dedication. As one of the interviewees mentioned “Si se Puede”, one can go to college. Even Cesar Chavez, a great influential leader for the Latino community had several barriers which impeded him to get an education but he still believed that “the end of all education should surely be service to others”. He still became a great advocate for education, it was his passion.
http://www.dsa.csupomona.edu/cesarchavez/chavezlife.asp