Trina Silva

Assimilation Through Education

As a former university admissions recruiter and a Mexican-American who is a first generation college graduate, the emphasis on education in the Hispanic culture is of certain interest to me. It is evident that education plays an important role in the “American Dream” as well as serving as a mean of assimilation.  Education is a theme that comes up frequently in several minority and immigrant narratives that we have studied. The theme of education is timeless, which is apparent since it is written about in older written works such as “Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, The African” and newer narratives such as Nicholasa Mohr’s “The English Lesson.” Just how important is education in helping immigrants assimilate?

The “model minority” places a large emphasis on education as a pathway to the “American Dream.” According to the National Center for Education, Latinos have the lowest levels of education and the highest levels of drop-out rates (Murga & Saenz, p. 51); education is not placed as a high priority for many Latino families unlike other minority groups who have been deemed “model minorities,” such as Asian-Americans and Jewish-Americans. “In terms of assimilation, such groups often assimilate economically and educationally while maintaining ethnic identity in religion and ethnic customs” (Dr. White, LITR 5731). Public schools have placed an emphasis on education for immigrants by offering ESL classes and programs that encourage and help high school seniors that will be first generation college students apply to schools and for financial aid (programs such as the government funded TRIO programs).

A significant issue that hinders a student from being able to obtain a degree in higher education is money. While many immigrants desire to make their “American Dream” possible through higher education it can be hard for many, parents and students have is that they have no idea how they will be able to afford college. I have worked with many immigrants who were afraid of getting student and/or parent loans to pay for school and give up on the dream of being able to attend college. While documented immigrants have the opportunity to apply for financial aid such as loans, grants and scholarships it is not possible for the majority of undocumented immigrants. Many states require undocumented immigrants to pay out-of-state tuition, making it even harder for many immigrants to attend college, however Texas is one of the few states that offers undocumented students the opportunity to pay in-state tuition (Murga & Saenz, 55) and even offers financial aid incentives that are provided through the state (www.shsu.edu).

One of the major obstacles of assimilating is the language barrier. As we saw in “The English Lesson” there was a strong desire for the students to learn English so that they could communicate better with the people in their new community and to use in the workplace. While the National Center for Education shows Latinos to have high dropout rates and low levels of education, it is shown that Hispanics in bilingual programs progress faster than those that are immersed in an English-only classroom settings (Cafferty & McCready, p. 103). Perhaps being in a setting where they are surrounded by peers helps them adjust to the new culture that surrounds them, which in turn makes them more successful in school? To be able to communicate in the dominant cultures language and to read and write it as well is a desire of many immigrants and minorities. In the “Narrative of Olaudah Equiano,” being able to read and learn the language of the dominant culture gave him an advantage over other slaves and gave him a certain sense of freedom. A person can be stripped of all things material but can never be stripped of their knowledge.

Works Cited

1.   Cafferty, Pastora San Juan and McCready William C. Hispanics in the United States. New Brunswick: Transaction, 1988.

2.   Murga, Aurelia Lorena and Saenz, Rogelio. Latino Issues. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011.

3.   SHSU Financial Aid Power Point: www.shsu.edu/~adm_www/staff/HSCounConfFinanicalAid.ppt

4.   Dr. White, LITR 5731: http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/hsh/whitec/terms/M/modelminority.htm

5.   TRIO Programs: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/triohistory.html