Vanesa's Statement

"All throughout high school, my parents had continuously encouraged me to do well in school and to be an A+ student. Perhaps they weren't able to help me complete my English projects or study for a History test, but my parents were there to ensure I succeeded. With their support, I was able to do well and eventually get a full scholarship"

(full story)

 

Latinos and Hispanics in the US

There are over 50 million Hispanic/Latino Americans in the US.  That is over 16% of the population and is in number second only to non-Hispanic White Americans. Two of the top ten most common surnames in the US are of Latino origin (Garcia and Rodriguez).

 

This fact alone might suggest that those of Latin American or Spanish origin are well integrated into US society and the number of well known Latino faces that pepper US modern culture would seem to back up that inference. 

From old school actors like Desi Arnez, Andy Garcia and Ramon Estevez (better known as Martin Sheen) to modern stars of the silver screen like Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes and Eva Longoria there is no shortage of strong Latino actors and actresses finding work in Hollywood.

Similarly, many sporting heroes are Hispanic including  boxing legends Roberto Duran and Oscar de La Hoya, Football Hall of Famer, Antony Muñoz and Baseball stars; Rod Carew, Toney Perez and Left Gomez.

In the world of business, Latino students can aspire to the success of the likes of Cuban American, Ralph Alvarez, who graduated from the University of Miami in 1976 and went on to be the President and COO of MacDonald’s, one of the world’s most recognized companies. 

Or how about Arte Moreno as a role model; he is of Mexican descent, a native of Arizona and the oldest of 11 children.  In 2003, he made history by being the first Hispanic in America to own a major sports team – the Anaheim Angels which he bought from the Walt Disney Corporation. 

The fields of education, science, literature are all liberally studded with Latino and Hispanic names, every one of them a testament to a strong willed individual who has worked hard and made a commitment to succeed in life.

Many Latino students have the advantage of speaking both Spanish and English fluently and have an understanding of both Hispanic and White American culture. In the business world, this gives them an advantage over their monolingual peers in any situation in which being able to communicate across cultures and ethnic groups is necessary.

 

The first step towards this bright future is gaining a good education and starting to build a supportive network . This site has a lot of information on the education system in the United States from the High School years on through College and Grad School. There is also a section devoted to Career Development including advice on Résumés, and  Interviewing. So check it out!