Title: Hispanic/Latino students developing for higher education.

Issues: What is the situation? Who cares and why?

Hispanic/Latino youth experience profound language, social, and academic losses due to distance/virtual learning. 27% of students in U.S schools classify as Hispanic/Latino and speak primarily Spanish at home. Hispanic/Latino caregivers have lower levels of education, limited knowledge of the U.S. educational system, and classify as LEP individuals.  According to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute 44% of Hispanic/Latinos are first generation college students. 23% of them live in a household where no parent had completed high school. Many of these students and families lack the resources and/or guidance that is available to guide them towards college and career readiness. Many of the resources available are not user friendly or can be intimidating to parents and students.  

Source for data: https://pnpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PNPI_LatinoStudentsFactsheet_July2021.pdf 

Response: What has been done? Summarize your program, project, or response to the issue.

In response to this issue, I have partnered with LLEO (Louisville Latino Educational Outreach Project) and La Casita Center in Jefferson County to create a series called Futuros (Futures) that consists of videos and factsheets that help empower Hispanic/Latino students and their families by providing access, knowledge, and support for college and career readiness. So far, we have had two sessions consisting of general College and Career readiness questions and answers and also the admissions/enrollment process for different Universities in Kentucky. We will continue to have these videos based on the clientele’s topic needs. Some of the topics we will provide information about are financial aid and scholarships, deciding on a major, campus life, what to expect your first year as a first-generation college student. The videos are being posted live on La Casita Centers Facebook page and the KYSU Spanish Facebook group page, YouTube, and the LLEO website.

Results/Impact: How has your response affected the user/stakeholders involved with the issue?

The videos that we are creating are being generated based on viewers demands for information that is not as accessible or user friendly as they would like. Prior to the video, we ask students and their families to submit topics they want us to cover. Since the videos are live, participants can ask questions during the video if they need clarification on something that was said. Many of the participants are first generation and neither them nor their parents are familiar with the concept or terminology used when preparing for college. We eliminate this barrier by making it as simple as possible and making sure all of their questions are answered before moving forward. We have also created a video where we show how to navigate the universities’ website and fill out the application. Many participants liked this idea because the can reference back to the video tutorial whenever they are filling out the application and it is not so intimidating. The first video was able to generate 439 views, 13 comments, and 15 likes and shares. The second video was able to generate 410 views, 19 likes, and 4 shares on different pages. Due to the participant's knowledge base increase and the demand for the information we are providing, we are continuing to develop more videos. 

(picture shows Futuros episode advertising) 

(picture shows me presenting on KYSU - College of Ag, communities, and the sciences)