The Future is in My Hands: El Futuro Esta En Mis Manos

After spending a weekend at the 11th Annual Hispanic Youth Symposium, Caldwell High School senior Yesenia Sanchez has the motivation and the tools to take the future into her own hands.

Sanchez was one of more than 300 Idaho Hispanic students at the Symposium who listened to motivational speakers, participated in interactive workshops and showed off their abilities in art, athletic, speech and talent contests.

The weekend stressed five primary themes: reducing the high school dropout rate, encouraging continuing education, staying away from drugs and gangs, eliminating teen-age pregnancy and taking pride in Latino culture.

The Symposium was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, INEEL contractors, state agencies and employers, and regional colleges and universities.

Opportunities

Like the hundreds of other students, Sanchez came to the Symposium for its opportunities -- to make friends and have fun with other Hispanic students, learn from leaders in the Hispanic community and hopefully receive a college scholarship.

Sanchez is the third of four daughters of Mexican immigrants. Her father initially entered the country illegally, but while working in the fields of California he obtained resident alien status. After working in New York and Juarez, Mexico, the family has now been in Caldwell for three years.

Sanchez picks grapes and cherries in the fields with her family during the summer, but during the school year her parents encourage her to be a dedicated student.

She has rewarded her parents' encouragement by working very hard and maintaining a 3.5 grade point average, even though she's spoken English for only two years. Sanchez learned the language after a few English as a Second Language classes and a lot of time spent studying the dictionary.

She will be the first in her family to graduate from high school, but she never thought of college until Boise State University recruiter Tomas Puga came to Caldwell and described the College Assistance Migrant Program. Designed to help the children of migrant workers afford college, the program caught Sanchez's attention.

"I was very interested, because we don't have the money to afford college," she says.

Mi familia

When Sanchez arrived at the Symposium, she joined a familia -- one of the many groups formed out of the students at the Symposium. She didn't know most of them when she arrived, but they were truly a family by the end of the weekend.

As a late replacement for a student who couldn't attend, Sanchez wasn't able to sign up for any of the many contests. She did, however, participate in the Issues to Action workshop. Her group tackled the issue of how to change the negative stereotypes of Hispanics.

For her, the best part of the weekend was listening to the speakers.

"I've learned a lot from the Hispanic leaders," she says. "Education is important, but it's not just education. We need to learn to communicate and respect others. They make us feel proud of ourselves and proud of who we are.

"We should start working now and not wait if we want to be someone important."

She also gained one other valuable insight.

"They made me appreciate what my parents do for me so I can get an education. I understand how hard my parents are working for me and how much they care."

Si Se Puede -- It can be done

The Symposium wrapped up with the scholarship announcements. Nearly 100 scholarships valued at more than $300,000 were awarded in little more than an hour.

Sanchez's hopes for being the first in her family to go to college rest on receiving a scholarship, but she didn't get one. She got two.

Boise State University offered what she was hoping for -- a $1,500 College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) award. Then the University of Idaho surprised her with a $4,000 CAMP award offer.

Now she has a hard decision to make, but she feels she's already made many decisions for the future.

"I'm going to work more with Hispanics," she says. "The Symposium changed my attitude. I' m going to be more positive and help others.

"I want to go back and tell all my Hispanic friends what is possible. I want to show them my scholarship offers. It's proof that we're capable of doing whatever we want if we work for it.

"Si se puede. It can be done. If we work for it, anything is possible."

Si se puede?

It can be done. Just ask a student from the 2000 Hispanic Youth Symposium.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Hispanic Times Enterprises
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group