Help for Hispanic, 1st gen. 10th grader into Sci

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi knowledgeable parents.</p>

<p>I know a nice kid in my area (So Cal.) Her parents are legal Mexican immigrants who never attended college. I doubt that they finished HS. They are VERY encouraging of their child, and I'd like to give them any helpful info I can. The girl is in 10th grade and is a good student (no precise details on how good, but she has been identified by some local programs like invited to do summer enrichment stuff at a UC campus.) Her goal right now is medicine.</p>

<p>OKAY my question: what sorts of things can this family tap into at this point in time to help their daughter? I recall some female/hispanic targeted summer science program that was mentioned a while back... I am not informed on the range of CTY-type stuff, nor how to qualify for these opportunities.</p>

<p>If you have ideas I would love to pass them on to the mom. I think this is a kid who really cares, has ability, and needs access to the info.</p>

2

<p>If her family is low income, make sure she gets all the information on the Gates Millennium Scholarship program. They are interested in students who are planning on studying science, math and medicine. Selected students also have to have community interaction in their background. They need to be interested in service. She will need lots of help with someone in the community and GC to complete the application. Of course this is for senior year before January. Until then, maybe summer programs/general help can be accessed through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund online at <a href="http://www.hsf.net/resources.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hsf.net/resources.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

3

<p>Thanks, this is exactly the sort of info I need. </p>

<p>They are medium income (?100K) because both work very, very hard. She is a housekeeper and he is a gardener. </p>

<p>For years they were VERY good savers, so they do own a home. Probably a FAFSA issue-- with the appreciation So Cal has seen-- even though this home has many family members (inlaws, cousins) living there and contributing to mortgage to make it...</p>

<p>My hope was for merit scholarships (because they are genuinely not rich even though they have got a home.) They have the med ins issues of the self-employed and they support lots of family members.</p>

4

<p>SBmom, I put together a list of college resources for hispanic students and their families on my website. It includes links to organizations that specifically help hispanic students achieve their goals, information about the best colleges for hispanic students, and links to sites that have information about financial aid, merit scholarships, and college admissions for hispanic students. Many of the resources are available in Spanish, so you may want to download some of them for her family.</p>

<p>It's too long to repost here, but here's the link to the article:
<a href="http://collegehunt.blogspot.com/2005/09/colleges-for-hispanic-students_02.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://collegehunt.blogspot.com/2005/09/colleges-for-hispanic-students_02.html&lt;/a> Hope it helps.</p>

5

<p>There are many internal scholarships at schools for kids from diverse backgrounds: Hudson-Holland Scholars program at Indiana University Bloomington; Lawrence minority scholarships, Wooster--excellent merit packages. They are everywhere. I bet that the best may be in the midwest and on the east coast for hispanics. So many wonderful schools. What about the UCs? Closer to home may be better.</p>

6

<p>has tons of scholarships, <a href="http://afaweb.esd.usc.edu/dcpage2.cfm?PageBaseID=50223%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://afaweb.esd.usc.edu/dcpage2.cfm?PageBaseID=50223&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p>

<p>Take a look especially at the following:</p>

<p>Mexican American Alumni Association</p>

<p>Amount: $700-$5,000</p>

<p>Number of awards: Approximately 200 awards</p>

<p>Selection Criteria: Awarded to undergraduate Hispanic students on the basis of academic achievement and demonstrated financial aid eligibility.</p>

<p>Application Process: Must apply for federal, state and university financial aid. The MAAA supplementary application (available January 2006) is due by May 31, 2006. Contact the Mexican American Programs Office by mail at Student Union 203, Los Angeles, CA 90089-4890, or phone (213) 740-4735. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.</p>

<p>AND</p>

<p>National Hispanic Scholar Presidential</p>

<p>Amount: Half tuition (approximately $16,000)</p>

<p>Number of Awards: Varies</p>

<p>Selection Criteria: Selected on the basis of PSAT performance. Entering freshmen are considered if they have been designated a National Hispanic Scholar and meet USC's minimum scholarship criteria.</p>

<p>Application Process: Students will be contacted by the sponsoring agency.</p>

<p>Notification: April 1, 2006</p>

7

<p>Student should also look into becoming a Ventures Scholar.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.venturescholar.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.venturescholar.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The Ventures Scholars Program (VSP) is a national membership program designed to promote access to higher education. The Ventures Scholars Program identifies underrepresented and first-generation college-bound students interested in pursuing math- and science-based careers and provides academic recognition, information and resources needed to help them successfully pursue their career goals.</p>

<p>Membership to the Ventures Scholars Program
Student needs to meet the following requirements to participate in the Ventures Scholars Program!</p>

<p>You have met at least one of the following test qualifications:</p>

<p>PSAT Qualifications: As a sophomore, you need to score a minimum of 47 on the math and verbal sections. As a junior, you need to score a minimum of 50 on the math and verbal sections.
SAT Qualifications: You need to score a minimum of 550 on the math and verbal sections.
PLAN Qualifications: You need to score a minimum of 18 on the math, science, English, and reading sections.
ACT Qualifications: You need to score a minimum of 19 on the math, science, English, and reading sections.
You have also met the following qualifications:</p>

<p>You have a 3.0 grade point average or better.</p>

<p>You have identified yourself as a member of an underrepresented group (African American/Black, American Indian/Native American, and Hispanic/Latino/a) or are a first-generation college-bound student. (A first-generation college-bound student is a student whose parents/guardians had no education beyond high school. Race and ethnicity are not factors.)</p>

<p>You have expressed an interest in a math- or science-based career.</p>

<p>Student's name will be shared with the Ventures Scholars Program Consortium, a membership of over 200 member colleges, universities, and professional associations interested in helping then achieve their career goals.</p>

<p>hope this helps</p>

8

<p>I knew you guys would know this stuff. Thanks to all for your great info.</p>