Hispanic Scholarship Fund Walkathon participants.

On Oct. 14, 2006, members of the Columbus community came out on a brisk morning to participate in the third annual walkathon to benefit the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), organized by the Latino Empowerment Outreach Network (LEON). The Hispanic Scholarship fund was founded in 1975 with a vision of strengthening the country by advancing college educations among the country’s largest minority population. The HSF provides more college scholarships and outreach support than any other organization in the country. Over its 31-year history, the HSF has given over 78,000 scholarships totaling over $195 million to Hispanic/Latin@s.

In organizing the walkathon, leaders felt that in addition to raising funds for the HSF, it was important to have a discussion about the larger issue of Latin@ educational achievement. This resulted in the Soluciones bilingual educational forum. The panel at the forum was made up of the Columbus public schools superintendent, political leaders from Ohio, and a representative of the Ohio State University to discuss educational trends in the Latin@ community.

The educational forum hoped to look for solutions to the very big problem of low levels of educational achievement among Latin@s. Víctor Mora, representing Ohio State University, framed the conversation in context of a larger issue with how school systems are performing as a whole. Mora said, “The problem is not that Latin@s are underachieving. The problem is that Latin@s are heavily represented in urban school districts that are not performing at the same level as their suburban counterparts.” The challenge also lies in addressing the issue of access to higher education for students who come from undocumented families.

Four Latin@ students from the Columbus area told testimonies of their experience in higher education, and their desires to continue studying. The educational forum included a challenge to politicians to change policies that limit educational opportunities for students who come from undocumented families but have demonstrated academic talent. The Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gene Harris spoke of creative ways to provide support and mentoring for Latin@ students, emphasizing that many first generation college students of all races have similar struggles and challenges. Mr. Henry Guzmán, director of public services for Columbus, committed his department to adopting a school and mentoring students.

It is important to be vigilant and continuously involved in addressing issues that affect the progression of Hispanic/Latin@ students throughout the educational pipeline. Of great concern is the high dropout rate among Latin@ students in Ohio. This problem has been identified, and we must go beyond discourse and take action. Properly addressing this will require collaborative partnerships between parents, educators, community organizations, policy makers, state agencies, and many other players. As the HSF espouses, it is in the best social, financial, and economic interest of the country to have a well educated populace that can help drive the growth of this country.