LearnmoreMN Blog

Putting themselves out there

By Sunny Kase, January guest blogger

Getting into college can be hard. Students spend hours in the buildup — researching campuses, studying, taking the ACT, filling out application forms, choosing the right school and finally actually graduating from high school. Then when they actually get to college there can be a real panic when students wonder, “What am I doing here? How did I get here? Am I supposed to even be here?”

For a low-income student, or a student of color or a student who is first in the family to go away to college — all of those above challenges and anxieties are heightened. With all of that going on their internal and external self, then someone, maybe another student or someone who works at the college asks the question, “What are you?” Hmmm…that is a really loaded question because it asks someone to choose one or two or more pieces of their self so others can put them in a box.

I’ve been working on college campuses for the past couple of decades in a variety of capacities and lately what I am struck by is a wonderful boldness in students. They don’t allow themselves to be put into neat little boxes that allow others to define their identity. They are now creating language and words and communities where they are defining themselves. I’ve been to lots more student-led activities that are about valuing the whole student life experience. Here is an example:

Years ago I went to an event at a campus that was billed, “Cinco de Mayo. Come learn about this special day. Free Taco Bar!” When we got there it was clear that there would be a panel of Chicano-Latino heritage students whose role was to educate their white counterparts on what Cinco de Mayo is. And yes, there were free tacos afterward. The question that opened the panel was “What are you?” When a panelist replied, “What do you mean?” he was told, “Well tell us where you are from.”

Recently I was invited to an event on a campus that was all about empowering younger Latino students and their families in how to go to college. It was hosted by a student group on the campus and a staff person. A lot went on at this meeting that was welcoming and empowering. For one, the people organizing the event reflected the population they were trying to reach. Another aspect of success was that there were lots of opportunities for non-English speakers to engage. Parents could ask questions in Spanish and staff people were on hand to respond. Most importantly, no one asked “What are you?”

This is bold and not in a condescending way. Students are simply taking charge to leave a legacy at their campuses not only for other students who are like them who have had similar experience. It is also bold because these students are leading their larger student body to understand who they are on their terms. Not only can this impact future admission of low-income, first-generation and/or students of color, it also directly impacts the retention of those students themselves. We know that if college students are able to find opportunities to advocate and interact with a community that reflects their own experience, they are more likely to graduate.

If our college campuses are smart they will listen to this boldness. They will hear the voices of these students as their future.

College affordability is something to really think about

By Jesús Hernández Mejía, October guest blogger

How do I pay for college? This is the question that is most often asked when students apply to a postsecondary institution. The typical answer is, “you can get financial aid.” For some students that might well be the case but for others it is not. In some instances, even with financial aid, students are faced with stark decisions of giving up the college of their choice and enrolling in a more affordable institution, taking lots of student loans, or giving up on college altogether.

There are several steps that can be taken and many ways to accomplish the dream of a college education. One of the first steps is to start saving. View a short video about saving from the new Paying for College series. (There’s also a 16-minute video, Paying for College in Spanish.)

As an assistant dean of financial aid, I often meet with parents who did not plan for the reality of their student going to college. It’s as if it came to them as an afterthought when their student burst through the door one day and said, “Mom, Dad, I want to go to college!”

The panic on their faces and the awkward conversation that follows is understandable. College is something that we really need to start planning for as soon as we start thinking about having kids — and continues until the day they graduate. Yes, you read that correctly.

Planning for college is essential and there are a variety of tools (see the MassMutual Financial Group resources) that can be used to predict the future of college costs. For example, a child born in 2013 will expect to pay $30,627 in 2029 at a public institution and $67,767 at a private institution.

If you are betting on your future student using government financial aid to pay for college, keep in mind that it will still exist in some shape or form, but it might not resemble what it currently looks like.

So it’s important to start saving now. Here’s a hypothetical example from MassMutual: save $50 per month on a savings plan for 18 years and you would end up with $12,339. This assumes a 6% earning rate. Even if you don’t put that money on a savings plan, $50 per month for 18 years gives you $10,800 or about a third of the cost for the first year. Obviously, the more you save, the more money that your student will have to pay for school.

I know you have a life and saving a lot of money might not be convenient or possible. After all, you are also thinking about buying a house or paying for rent, purchasing a vehicle to get to work, vacations and many other things. But think of the advantages that your student will have: less debt in loans after graduation and more time to start thinking about college for their own children.

Watch for my next blog post to learn about other ways to truly make college an affordable option.

Dreams coming true

By Juventino Meza, May guest blogger

Gov. Mark Dayton will sign the Higher Education Omnibus bill that included the Minnesota Dream Act. This is a historic day for Minnesota. It took more than a decade to pass this legislation; we are the 15th state to do so and only the 4th one to provide state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act will:

• Allow students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities if they meet certain requirements, regardless of their immigration status
• Make state higher education aid available to all students who meet residency requirements, regardless of immigration status
• Allow public institutions (MnSCU and the University of Minnesota) to use private funding as financial aid for all students, regardless of immigration status
• Create a Minnesota financial aid application specifically for these students that delinks federal and state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act has broad support. The Citizens League supported it based on its 2009 study of immigrant students' access to higher education in Minnesota. The bill was also backed by community groups (Mesa Latina, Centro Campesino, Chicano Latino Affairs Council), all major higher education institutions (U of MN, Minnesota Private College Council, MnSCU), business and labor groups (Education Minnesota, Chamber of Commerce, SEIU Local 26, Agri-Growth Council), superintendents around the state, Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban. And obviously, Gov. Dayton and Larry Pogemiller, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, supported it as well. This truly was a collaborative victory for Minnesota!

I went to ask the authors what they thought. “I am thrilled that after a decade of effort by immigrant students and their allies, their ‘dream of a college education’ became law when Gov. Dayton signs it, said Sen. Sandy Pappas. “I look forward to the talents and energies of these bright young people serving the economic future of our great state.”

It’s estimated that if 500 students benefit, it will “bring $1 billion in new earnings to the Minnesota economy over their lifetime. ($1.8 million is the lifetime earnings of an associate degree; $2.4 million for a bachelor’s degree).”

This legislation is about equity, but it also is about closing the opportunity and achievement gap. It will ensure that all students in Minnesota have equal access to higher education and that Minnesota is ready to compete in the world economy with the future workforce we will need.

“It’s an honor being part of this historic legislative proposal,” said Representative Carlos Mariani, who sponsored the legislation in the House. “I have been fighting for this for more than 10 years. This affirms the dignity of undocumented people in Minnesota. Congratulations to everyone who faithfully and strategically worked to make this law. DREAMers inspire us to be a better people. On-forward!”

Marco Loera, a soon-to-be college student from Rochester, Minn. was equally enthusiastic. “I can finally see my future; I can finally say that equality for all Minnesota students is closer now. This is my state and these are my dreams; now, no status will keep me from being the best I can be.”

Find information about the process here. We know that we have a lot of work ahead, especially in high schools and colleges to make sure everyone has the right information. Can you help us spread the word? Organize a group of students, families or staff and invite NAVIGATE MN to do a presentation about how students can benefit from the Minnesota Dream Act.

The Missing Partner

By Frank Hernandez, October guest blogger

Several weeks ago, thousands of students walked onto our college campuses to start new journeys in education. Among them was a young man who a few years ago was involved in local gangs and destined to drop out of high school. How did he, and many others like him, end up at a top-notch private college?

The answer to that question is as complex as each student. Yet, there are some common threads. First and foremost, each student needs to make a conscious effort to change some things about how they want to live. Many also find support from local community-based organizations.

For example, Centro is a local Latino community organization, which is located in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. It offers a continuum of youth programs for Latino youth. Educational success is a priority across all Centro youth programs. Community-based organizations like Centro have many assets, such as bilingual, bicultural staff; strong relationships with families; and effective communications with the schools, health providers and other anchor institutions.

For the past two years, Centro’s youth coordinator, Mitch Roldán, has been working with gang-involved youth in the Minneapolis schools. With Mitch’s help, one such participant chose to move away from the gangs. He also found a deep connection to his cultural roots, took on a leadership role with his peers, and decided to apply and start at one of Minnesota’s private colleges this fall.

If community-based organizations like Centro are so successful, why aren’t more P-12 schools working closely and systemically with community-based organizations? What can teacher preparation programs learn from community-based organizations to better reach families and students who might otherwise not enroll in post-secondary education?

These are precisely the questions that a collaborative team of faculty from Augsburg, Bethel, Concordia (St Paul), Hamline, St. Catherine and St. Thomas began asking themselves as they worked on developing a new teacher preparation program through a special grant program at the Bush Foundation this past summer.

Later this month, I’ll share some highlights from the plan, which is still in development. But a key element in the plan is the commitment from our teacher preparation institutions to partner with community-based organizations.

Do you agree? Please share your thoughts and examples about what worked in effective higher education and P-12 educational partnerships with community-based organizations.

Latinos engage on education policy issues

By Rogelio Muñoz, March guest blogger

During President Barack Obama’s first address to the nation last month, he called for Americans to be more civically engaged in their communities on issues important to them. The president emphasized the significance of what we each can do when we unite, mobilize, and work together. In Minnesota, that charge has been the essence of Latino civic engagement for generations and today it is no different.

Shortly after the 2009 Legislative Session convened in early January, the state’s Latino community participated in the 2009 Latino Legislative Day at the Capitol. The event, organized by the state’s Chicano Latino Affairs Council, was the first in modern history to bring Latinos together under one united voice to support a multi-issue policy agenda.  With some 200 Latino community members, leaders, supporters, and longtime advocates, the day at the Capitol addressed the council’s priorities for the 2009 Legislative Session and important policy issues for Minnesota’s Latino community, such as Pre K-12 education, higher education, and health. 

On the issue of education in the state, Latino students in public schools continue to be impacted by the achievement gap across all subject areas and have the lowest graduation rate. Currently, Minnesota’s minority communities or people of color comprise more than 14 percent of the total state population. When you compare this percentage to students of color in our public schools, the percentage is much higher at 24 percent or almost one-fourth of the total student enrollment. Further, Minnesota’s total Latino population is at 4 percent (208,000) while it is surpassed by the total Latino student enrollment at 6.1 percent (51,000). What does this say? Clearly, the state’s Latino community is younger and growing fast.

During the Latino Legislative Day at the Capitol, 25 teams organized and led by Latino community leaders, met with state legislators to brief them on the needs of Latino students. View their recommendations 

Minnesota must meet the needs of Latino students in public schools and prepare them for higher education. It’s important to our community and to the state.