The Hispanic Heritage Fund and NRCCUA are hoping to change that reality by launching MyCollegeOptions.org, an online service dedicated to helping Hispanic students make their way from high school to college.

Steven Galvan, the fourth of seven children, followed his grandfather’s footsteps, enlisting in the military as a route to college.

“There are numerous jobs in Texas, especially in the automobile industries, and they suck people in by paying $12 an hour without having to be certified, and people think it’s a lot of money,” says Galvan. “But my grandfather told me that with education you only go up, and it can never be taken from you, and so I took his advice.”

The study says that 62 percent of Hispanics report that neither of their parents went to college and that they are more likely to learn about higher education opportunities through non-personal advertising such as direct mail or billboards.

The study was based on a survey of 2,820 high school students, half of whom were Hispanic.

Jose Antonin Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Fund, says the press conference and symposium were the first step toward helping Hispanic students realize their college dreams.

U.S. Rep. Hilda L. Solis, D-Calif., says the effort to boost Hispanic college enrollment should start as early as the preschool years. She says college-prep programs like Upward Bound and other TRIO programs should be expanded and schools should play a larger role in nurturing and steering Hispanic kids toward college.

--Margaret Kamara

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