| NEWS
| OCTOBER 25, 2005
Learning the Rules
Sessions aim to inform Hispanics
of American school practices
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| The Shorthorn: Chris Fox |
| Rosa Maria Rayero, whose daughter
attends Tarrant County College, asks questions
at a meeting for Maestros de la Communidad. The Center
for Mexican American Studies set up the nine-week program
to help familiarize Spanish-speaking parents with the
U.S. educational system. |
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By Megan
Magaña
The Shorthorn staff
On Saturday mornings, the University Center is quiet and unoccupied,
except for a small office on the third floor.
Parents gather there for Maestros de la Comunidad to learn to be
effective advocates for their children.
The Center for Mexican American Studies sponsors the program, which
is geared toward Spanish-speaking parents who may be unfamiliar
with the U.S. education system. The program lasts for nine weeks
and can hold between 20 to 30 parents each round.
Program coordinator Jaime Nisttáhuz, explains topics like
financial aid, the Texas education system and parents’ rights
and responsibilities during the Saturday meetings.
“I was looking for a way to support the community,”
he said.
Spanish professor Nisttáhuz said there is more trust in the
Latin American education system and that parent involvement is crucial
in the U.S.
“You’re expected to be an advocate,” he said.
Nisttáhuz said parents come to sessions religiously, and
their children are mentored by university volunteers from the center.
“It’s been really fun to watch UTA students take responsibility,”
he said.
At Saturday’s session, parents learned about the application
and scholarship process to enter college.
Germán Salas and his wife Michelle, have two children: Joshua,
6, and Alexander, 12. Germán Salas said they have begun looking
for information about scholarships.
“We are looking for the future of our children,” he
said.
Michelle Salas teaches pre-kindergarten at Kooken Educational Center
in Arlington and she encourages parents to be involved in their
child’s education.
“You do not limit your child,” she said.
She said parents are surprised when she tells them that Texas House
Bill 1403 allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.
Industrial engineering sophomore Ernesto Hernández, volunteers
on Saturday mornings as a mentor.
“A lot of [the kids] have a lot of potential,” he said.
Hernández said there is often a stereotype associated with
the Latin community, as unwilling or unable to go to college.
“The Latin community has to get out of that profile,”
he said. “We should be able to incorporate culture in a positive
way.”
Enrique Arellano, a Tarrant County College student, said he is planning
on coming to UTA in two years. He said that during Saturday’s
session, he walked around campus with the mentors and learned about
the different college forms to fill out.
“I think it’s really helpful for the Hispanic community,”
he said.
He said he wants to take advantage of the scholarships he learned
about, and that he is considering 3-D animation.
Nisttáhuz said, in the U.S., every parent and student is
educated, in every way.
“They are advocates of education — both their kids’
and their own,” he said.
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