Daniel Alberto Perez for Latinos in College

How To Avoid Taking Out Student Loans

2011-11-13T22:24:00.022-06:00

Today, I met with a good friend of mine and classmate in the Schoolof Social Work. We got together for five hours to study for an essay exam worth 30% of our grade! We went through dozens of pages of notes, searched online to gather more information, and discussed strategies on how to best answer the questions on the exam.

As time went by, our brains demanded more energy in order to continue absorbing the copious amounts of information captured on our notes. Therefore, we took a break and went out for lunch.

On our drive to a nearby fast-food establishment, we talked about how stressful school was, and how it was becoming less and less manageable as the semester drew closer to an end. Then, our conversation delved into paying for school.

My friend said she was very fortunate to have earned many scholarships during her undergraduate career. She finished 4 years of undergraduate school debt free—tuition, room and board, and school expenses were all paid for. She stated that it was her being debt free that had allowed for her to go onto graduate school, and that taking out two, instead of four, years, worth of loans was a smarter investment.

I was a bit astonished by her statement. I did not, and still do not, disagree with her at all. However, I told her that graduate schools offer employment opportunities to graduate students, especially teaching and research assistantships. Graduate assistantships not only cover tuition charges, but also provide students with a salary and health benefits. The best part of it is that one only has to work 10-20 hours per week!

She said she was not aware of this, and, had she known, she would have made an effort to obtain a graduate assistantship.

So, if you are planning to pursue a Master’s degree or a Ph.D., please check with your school to see what kind of financial help is offered to incoming students. Some programs will accept graduate students and will not offer any funding. However, this does not mean the school does not offer any kind of financial aid. What this means is that students are in charge of applying for available graduate assistantships every semester or every year, depending on the job appointment--6 months, 9 months, or 12 months. On the contrary, some other schools will accept students and offer them full funding for the first year, and sometimes even for their entire graduate career.

Remember: It's important to inform yourself before embarking on a new academic adventure. Once you start asking questions, you will realize how much you did not know, and how asking questions can save you thousands upon thousands of dollars.

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Surviving Graduate School

2011-10-21T16:00:00.034-05:00

I thought balancing undergraduate school, work, family, and social life was difficult, but graduate school definitely takes the cake. Classes at the University of Minnesota graduate school began in early September and it has been the ride of my life thus far.

I am taking 6 classes (16 credits) and I have to juggle a variety of work commitments—social work internship, research fellowship, managing Latinos in College, and attending Board meetings for La Raza Student Cultural Center. If that was not all, I have to find time to do homework and sleep! Yeah, I know I did not mention family time or time for a social life, but they are pretty much out of the picture. Unfortunate, isn’t it?

So, to say that these past two months have been rough would clearly be an understatement.

However, despite the immense workload, I have been surviving graduate school because of a simple life philosophy: “focus on making it through the week.” Rather than worrying about all the assignments that are coming up in the next few weeks, which include 10+ page papers, group presentations, practice evaluations and more, I focus on successfully completing my assignments for the current week.

If I let myself be overwhelmed with future projects, I will certainly fall behind. Instead, I place my energy on working on my weekly assignments—readings, reflection essays, research projects—and stay afloat.

While it has never been my ideal way of doing things, I realize that graduate school is not like any previous schooling. Therefore, I must adjust to new ways if I want to succeed at juggling all my school and work commitments.

Finally, I acknowledge that my problems are first world problems. I have a supportive family and a supportive group of friends and professors who are there when I most need them. I also have my basic necessities covered. Therefore, I have no reason to believe that things will not work out in the end.

So next time you are feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and realize that you will make it happen if you just put your mind and effort into it. :)

Giving up is not an option if you want to succeed!

2011-08-29T18:38:00.022-05:00

At one point in my life, my parents were on the brink of getting a divorce. My parents, luckily, sought out professional help from a social worker and were able to work out their marital problems and solidify their commitment to each other. Ever since this happened, about 6 years ago, I realized that I, too, wanted to help families find solutions to their problems and hopefully remain together. Hence my desire to become a social worker emerged.

So I applied to the Master of Social Work (MSW) Program at the University of Minnesota in January of 2010. At the time, I had a 3.92/4.0 GPA. I had also been volunteering at non-profits and other social service organizations for years, and had asked three of my closest professional contacts for letters of recommendations. Therefore, I thought my chances of getting into such a prestigious school would be a piece of cake.

It turned out that I was wrong. A letter from the Graduate School of Social Work arrived in the mail around late March. It informed me that I had NOT been accepted to the MSW program. As you can imagine, I was completely devastated; I felt hurt and completely defeated.

A few weeks after receiving my rejection letter, I was able to talk to someone in the admissions office regarding my application. I was told that I would have made it into the program had I had a little bit more professional experience and my letters of recommendation had been written by professionals in the social service field.

After hearing such information, I felt relieved. I knew it was all a matter of obtaining more professional experience before being accepted to the MSW program next year.

So let’s fast forward to present day.

After racking up quite some professional experience and reapplying to graduate school, I was accepted to the Master of Social Work Program AND to the Family Social Science Master’s Program at the University of Minnesota, earlier this year.

While not being accepted to my dream graduate program the first time I applied was quite disappointing, I now realize that rejection was a true blessing in disguise. Joining the professional world and actually putting into practice what I learned during my undergraduate career has been one of the best things to happen to me personally and professionally.

Getting involved in the social service field allowed me to work with youth and adults dealing with problems such as poverty, homelessness, chemical abuse and dependence and much more. Throughout this process, I became aware of the huge need for males of color in this field. My being male, Latino and bilingual sometimes made all the difference in being able to motivate individuals to change, bridging the language gap in communication between clients and non-Spanish speaking professionals, and providing culturally sensitive services that would most likely not have been available had I not been interning at these organizations/institutions.

All in all, my temporary “defeat” turned out to be my greatest victory. Getting hands-on experience changed me personally and professionally and renewed my passion for wanting to help those most in needed.

Next time you encounter a personal setback, do not dwell on it. Remind yourself that failure is part of success as succeeding involves bouncing back and overcoming self-doubt.

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A $100,000 Job Offer: Dreams Derailed?

2011-07-23T00:05:00.033-05:00

My summer officially started around the second week of June. Summer was the one thing I had been looking forward to the most. Why? I desperately needed a break from my 90-hour workweeks and my average night of sleep, which included less than 5 hours of snooze.

Having such a jam-packed work schedule meant neglecting my family and friends, as well as not having a social life of any kind. Oh, and let’s not forget having zero time for romance.

Naturally, I was more than happy to catch a break.

Now my summer has been partially filled with spending quality time with my family and friends, as well as taking care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally; in other words, getting enough sleep. I have also gone on a few dates and made a few new friends. On the other hand, my summer has also consisted of working the social media circuit, volunteering and finding ways to afford my double Masters degree, which I start in the fall.

So as you would probably guess, I have been applying for scholarships, fellowships, assistantships and more to fund my education. Education has been and will always be the number one priority for me. In fact, I have tentatively planned out the rest of life in terms of my education and where I want and expect it to take me.

Well, last week I had my moment of truth. I was at the office finishing some paperwork and transferring files from my laptop to the office computer, when my boss made me an indirect job offer. To make the story short, I was presented with a full-time occupation as my boss’s Executive Assistant. The salary: $100,000 per year! Yes, a Monday through Friday, 8AM-4PM job would get me that much money.

Having heard his proposal, I did nothing but keep on working and left the office 30 minutes later without mentioning the subject matter again. So you might be wondering why I did not take the offer right away, right? I mean, who would turn down such an offer?!

While I have not verbally turned down the position, I turned it down inside my head from the moment I heard it. Why? Accepting such a job offer would certainly deviate me from my educational plans and life goals. It would mean pursuing a single Master’s degree, rather than a dual one. In addition, it would most likely mean finishing a single Masters degree in three years, when the original plan was to finish a double Masters degree in two years. Similarly, finishing a Ph.D. within the next five years would be almost out of the question. Most importantly, working as an Executive Assistant would not bring me the same satisfaction as a profession in social work, research and teaching would do.

After all, I have never had money, I still do not have money and I do not want to have a lot of money, if it means sacrificing my goals. All I want is a chance to give back to my community as much as I have been given—inspiration, motivation and knowledge.

Never forget: There will be times in your life when you will have to make very tough choices, but you must never sell yourself short, especially in the long-term. Stay true to yourself and pursue your dream of being who you want to be. You never want to reflect back on your life and wonder what you could have been had you followed your dreams.

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Note: Picture featured on this entry is property of WPIX-TV

Make Your Summer Count!

2011-06-27T03:19:00.013-05:00

This summer is the first one in about five years that I am actually able to “take it easy”. Compared to past years where my summers were spent working 40-50 hour workweeks and sometimes attending classes, this summer feels like a breeze. Summer classes are a thing of the past, and although I am still working, I do not work nearly as much. But despite having plenty of time to kill, I chose to make this summer a productive and fun-filled one.

In this economy, it can be hard for high school and college students to find a summer job; small to medium businesses do not have the budget to hire folks like they used to a few years ago. So, rather than devoting all of your time and effort to landing a summer job, it is important to also focus on gaining other precious life skills and experience.

Finding a summer internship or volunteering at different organizations can be a great resume booster, as well as teach you valuable personal and professional lessons. While working for free does not sound like the most enticing idea—hey, I get it! I have bills to pay, too—it is crucial to think about the long-term benefits of doing so.

Doing an internship is a great opportunity to gain experience in your chosen field and to see professionals in action. It is also a great way to make new friends and to make contacts within the industry, which you could certainly use as references. Finally, impressing the right people could lead to landing a job for this company or being referred to companies with job openings!

Similarly, volunteering provides many benefits. You learn and develop new skills. For example, volunteering at a non-profit organization may lead to planning and implementing a major fundraising event. This, in turn, can develop goal setting, planning and budgeting skills. In addition, after becoming a “seasoned” volunteer, you could end up supervising and training other volunteers, which would help develop your supervisory and training skills. Volunteering also allows you to form part of your community and give back. If that was not enough, volunteering gives you motivation and a sense of achievement by being part of a collective effort to improve peoples’ lives, while boosting your career options.

But I know you might be thinking to yourself: have I not heard this before? How does he know interning/volunteering will pay off?

I can certainly tell you that I have not only talked the talk, but I have also walked the walk. This past academic year (September - June), I worked, interned and volunteered at several places, ranging from schools to non-profits, to private companies and restaurants. Combined, I was working a total of 90 hours a week. Although it was a grueling schedule, it was completely worth it! I gained and developed several abilities such as organizational and time management skills, leadership, grant writing, advocacy and many more. Additionally, I made a lot of good friends and professional connections, which have proven to be crucial for my success in academia and in the “real” world.

Had I not done what I did this past academic year, I would certainly not have been able to use my colleagues as references for applying to graduate school, to which I have been accepted. Likewise, I would not have been able to land the jobs that I currently have, including my job as online community manager for Latinos in College. Last of all, I certainly would not have the luxury to not work full-time this summer and still make a living.

So, enjoy your summer, but make sure to make it a productive one. You never know how it could change your life!

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Where are the Latino role models?

2011-06-03T23:37:00.028-05:00

Latinos are not very visible in many professional atmospheres, especially in education. While teaching is a very honorable profession, it does not pay as well as many other types of jobs that require the same or even less level of education. Also, the U.S. education system is being attacked and undermined by a number of politicians as well as a portion of the population. So, it does not make very much sense to come from an underprivileged background, only to remain relatively economically disadvantaged and under serious scrutiny from society at large.

As a result of the lack of Latino teachers, Latino students are not seeing themselves reflected in authority figures. I was no exception to this rule. It was just 6 years ago (2005) that I graduated from high school, and, sadly, nothing much has changed. Throughout my high school career, I never saw a Latino teacher in the building. In fact, the only staff of color was an African-American teacher. And now, six years later, only two Latino teachers and 3 African-American educators are found in a building with over 100 staff members.

Unfortunately, thousands of Latinos continue to go through our school system without seeing positive Latino role models.

I have faith that things will certainly change in the near future, however. The U.S. Census recently announced that 50.5 million Latinos are currently living in the United States. Consequently, I have been thinking about what the explosive growth of the U.S. Latino population means for me and for current and prospective college students.

It means that right now is the perfect time for Latinos to seize the opportunity to shape the discourse of different fields such as politics, immigration, health, but especially education.

Just the other day, I happened to be facilitating a support group at a government-run home for children. Said support group is part of the Sexual Violence Center, a non-profit for which I volunteer and whose goal is to help educate, prevent and eradicate sexual assault. I can tell you that each of the eight youths who were part of the support group that day were children of color--6 African-Americans and 2 Latinos. What struck me the most, though, was the fact that the two Latino boys seemed to be completely shocked at the fact that not only a Latino, but also a male was facilitating such a group. Their dismay continued for the entire length of our 45-minute group session.

Unfortunately, my experience at the home for children is not the only time I noticed myself as a rarity, both as a Latino and as a male. For example, I am currently interning at a high school where I am the only Latino male staff member. And while both faculty and students acknowledge my presence, it is the Latino students who have been most positively impacted.

So a definite need for Latinos to join our education system as well as other professional fields has emerged. Although a need for Latino professionals has always existed, NOW is the time to build momentum for Latinos to work collectively to gain our fair share in the decision-making process that affects our personal and professional lives.

All in all, by allowing Latino students to connect with other Latinos in positions of power, we are empowering students to get involved in social, political and economic activism. Most importantly, by allowing Latino students to see themselves reflected in other powerful Latinos, we are in fact encouraging them to become leaders rather than followers.

Winning the Future Through the Power of Networking!

2011-05-11T13:58:00.004-05:00

Lately, I have been thinking about the power of networking and how it has helped me achieve personal and professional success.

Since my high school years, I developed close relationships with some of my teachers, especially my Spanish and ELL teachers. Whenever I had any questions regarding college and about life in general, they were always there to assist me.

When I finally made it into college, I was more than terrified. I knew classes were going to be much more difficult; and I also knew that a support system was going to be harder to find since college students tend to be in their own “bubble.” Therefore, the most logical thing to do, I thought, was to build close relationships with professionals with whom I interacted on a daily basis.

Well, it totally paid off!

Teachers, counselors and other professionals became my guides and support system throughout my college career. I remember the countless times when I was stressed out and overwhelmed about having to work long-hour workweeks to afford my college education, help my parents pay the bills, and still manage to show up to class every day and successfully complete my assignments. Oh, and let’s not forget the ever pressure exerting and lingering “am I going to find a good job after graduation” question! So, just when I started feeling suffocated, I would reach out to one of these mentors who would pull me out of the hole.

To my amazement, they were not just able to pull me out of the hole, but also provide me with even firmer ground to stand on. How so, you may ask? Through the power of networking!

Through their personal and professional contacts, I was able to tap into work opportunities that I did not even know existed. In addition, these professionals also provided me with information on private scholarships that were not very well known, thus increasing my chances of actually being selected for one.

I now have graduated college and I am still reaping the benefits of forming close relationships with several professionals and schoolmates. I am currently interning at the second best high school in the state of Minnesota, St. Louis Park Senior High School, which also happens to be the high school I graduated from in 2005. And if that were not enough, I have also been admitted to the only Department of Family Social Science in the nation as well as one of the top schools of social work at the University of Minnesota.

All in all, networking is an effective and inexpensive way to gain knowledge and resources by connecting with important people who can become mentors, guides and support systems. Finding a mentor or a guide can help you as a student to engage and build a positive system of support and resources that will allow you to find academic and professional success.

Remember: never underestimate the power of networking!

Note: Picture featured on this entry is courtesy of Diversity MBA Magazine.

Preventing Sexual Assault on College Campuses

2011-04-25T20:16:00.015-05:00

Throughout my senior year in college, the University of Minnesota posted bulletins and flyers around campus as well as mailed students and faculty regarding violent and sexual crimes perpetrated against college students. Those crimes ranged from armed robberies to shootings to sexual assaults; some incidents even occurring in broad daylight. Therefore, personal safety around campus was a matter of much concern for me.

It has been estimated that one in three women and one in six men will experience an unwanted sexual encounter in their lifetime. Hence, it is not surprising that sexual assaults are occurring all too frequently on college campuses. According to the Dating Violence Resource Center, sexual violence around college campuses looks like this:
1. In one year, more than 13% of college women indicated being stalked.
2. An estimated 5% of college women experienced a completed or attempted rape in a given year.
3. Most acts of sexual assault on college campuses are perpetrated by someone known to the survivor.
4. Alcohol and drug use contribute to the problem, with an estimated 50% of perpetrators and survivors of sexual assault under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of the assault.
When it comes to violence prevention, we have three main groups: the victims, the perpetrators, and then everyone else. If we are in the "everyone else" category, then we must take a stand against violence or we become part of the problem by acting as bystanders.
So, these are a few things, courtesy of Feminist Law Professors, that we as students can do to help protect ourselves and others:
1. Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.
2. When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!
3. Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry; do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.
4. Use the buddy system! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.
5. Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.
6. Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!
7. Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

Remember: sexual assault is no laughing matter. It remains our responsibility to find ways to reduce our vulnerability to such offenses, report any incidents, and help survivors find their voice to speak up.
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Latinos and the Culture of College: Shifting Paradigms

2011-04-12T00:29:00.030-05:00

College is one word with so many paradigms. Whenever I ask fellow college graduates to describe a college culture in one word, they will most likely say things such as “opportunity,” “success,” “money,” “freedom,” or “work.”

However, whenever I ask Latino students and their parents for reactions to the word “college,” their responses range from “expensive,” “too hard,” “need to work instead,” to “our family has never gone to college.”

It seems like the Latino student in America is caught between two cultures or two paradigms when discussing college.

The first culture is the familial culture of hard work, which places an emphasis on family unity and values. My parents came from Mexico without any knowledge of the English language. So, they were grateful to find any work and were prepared to live in humble circumstances because they knew that although they would be making several times more per hour than what could have been earned back in our home country, the cost of living here in America would be very high. Therefore, sending me to college was a rather grim prospect.

On the other hand, a second culture paradigm is Latino parents and students recognizing that college will be beneficial. Time after time my parents spoke of coming to this country for a better life for me and my brother. A better life, however, is expensive, especially when it involves sending offspring to college. Doing so causes debt, and seemed far from reality or experiences of my parents. In other words, the dream hangs out there but not quite here.

So it is important to acknowledge that these two cultures do not need to be mutually exclusive, either-or propositions. However, they do not blend naturally and will not blend by chance. A guide, a mentor, or a teacher must be at hand to help the Latino student and parent learn how to participate in the college dream while understanding and respecting his or her Latino roots.

After all, education is a high priority for Latinos. Perhaps all we need is a paradigm shift when it comes to thinking about attending to and affording college.

Do you feel caught in between two cultures? I would love to hear your stories!

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