The program "Mentores Latinos de America" (Latino Mentors of America), implemented in schools in San Diego, Los Angeles and Sacramento, creates relationships between Hispanic professionals and high school students to guide them in their future careers.
Rolando Moreno, a former football trainer in University of
California, San Diego (UCSD) and alumni of Escondido High School,
created the group in 1997 which nowadays brings together around 50
professionals, including doctors and successful leaders in the
business world, to interact with students in schools.
Moreno, who owns a firm offering legal services, said that the
need for this program became evident when he realized that despite
their merits students had difficulty finding jobs.
"I realized that they needed skills to establish connections, and
if this occurred with students of majority groups, I thought that
Hispanic students would have even more issues," he added.
Moreno maintained that they worked with college students for
about seven years before attending high school in 2002, where they
have also established alliances with teachers at the schools.
In 1992 Moreno started giving speeches about social skills to
UCSD students, but when they told him that this knowledge would have
been more valuable if they had received it in high school, he
decided to found the group to help Hispanics along with five other
business people.
"Students today have higher connections with the media, but they
still ask things like how many years are required to graduate, the
way of life in college, how to adapt to this lifestyle, because
among Latinos women for example are not used to leaving the paternal
context or their parents don't want them to go far from home," he
said.
Last December they had 30 high schools, which change every year,
because there are not enough professionals who can visit the
schools.
"That is our biggest limitation, finding professionals who we can
be sure will be able to give good information," he said.
"Latino mentors meet with students from once a week to once a
month either one on one or in a classroom, and they usually keep in
touch with them once they have gone to college", he said.
Because Hispanic students usually lack role models, Moreno said,
the presence of successful professionals in their fields allows to
break stereotypes, especially in the case of schools with a smaller
Hispanic population.
"The work of the mentors varies according to the area, in Los
Angeles schools ask that they visit once a week in an area
designated by the school to protect the students," he noted.
In other areas such as Sacramento, they only ask for lecturers at
schools who are focused in helping with the search of grants,
"because many students don't feel qualified, but there are now many
more grants available," he added.
In San Diego there is a combination of both models, said Moreno,
helping students who are interested, "we try to look for mentors
with flexible schedules, because mentors are volunteers who believe
that their time is important for the students."
Moreno said that to select the mentors, who are usually
recommended by other mentors or professionals, they have a committee
who interviews those who are interested, explaining the group's
philosophy and the time they need to give, and they also need to
pass a criminal record check.
"Every three months we talk to them to see what's going on and
with the school to see if the work is helping," he concluded.
