About 350 Latino underclassmen from 11 northwest suburban high schools explored the campus of Harper College, getting a sample of what their lives could be like if they pursue higher education.
Harper was the host Friday of the eighth annual Latino Summit, an event designed to inspire Latino teens to dream of professional careers and setting positive examples for their communities.
“It gives us courage,” said Mirna Rosales, a Barrington freshman, who met like-minded Latinos from other schools during the daylong event.
“I was like ‘Oh, wow, I didn’t know that these people existed,” said Diana Jasso, a Buffalo Grove freshman.
The audience watched as 11 seniors, who participated in the summit as freshmen and sophomores, received scholarships for the colleges to which they are now accepted.
The keynote address came from Lucy Flores, a member of the Nevada Commission on Minority Affairs, who is running for a state representative seat. Should she win next fall, she would be the first Latina elected to the Nevada assembly; she spoke about overcoming the numerous setbacks that almost stole her potential from her.
“Some of the things that I do now, I still don’t believe that I’m doing,” she told the students.
Especially, she said, since 15 years ago, she was in and out of jail for petty crimes she committed with her friends in a gang. She joked that she always knew she could be a lawyer, because every time she was arrested, she informed the officer that she knew her rights.
“I grew up four blocks from a community college, and I never knew what the building was,” she said; years later, she would take classes in that building, the College of Southern Nevada, despite having dropped out of high school.
Noely Alicea, a Barrington senior who received a $500 scholarship to the University of Illinois at Chicago during the summit, said she would not have received such aid if she had skipped the event in years past.
“They explain grants to us, and applying for scholarships,” she said. But, that knowledge did not make her expect that she would become a Latino Summit scholarship recipient herself.
“It’s kind of overwhelming,” she said. “I didn’t really think that I was going to get it,” until she got the congratulations call, two days before the summit.
During the opening session, speakers had the entire assembly stand up, then instructed certain sections to sit down — depicting the percentage of Latino students who graduate high school, go to college and finally receive a degree.
“It was kind of sad, to see how many people don’t go to college,” said Edgar Rodriguez, a Buffalo Grove freshman.
The demonstration made several of the participants say that they wanted to be in the percentage still standing at the end.
“It’s great to listen to the examples of the college students,” said Edith Tovar, a Barrington senior.
“It’s a great opportunity for Latino students,” added Giovanni Cruz, Barrington freshman.
