Voices
From Survival to Leadership in a New Land
By Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology November/December 2003
Nov 20, 2003, 08:30

From Survival to Prosperity in a New Land

Along with the tie of language, the immigrant experience forms a common bond among America's diverse Hispanic communities. Not every Spanish-speaker arrives in the U.S. without means, of course, but the stories of the many who do are at the foundation of a rising culture whose spire points toward the American Dream.

Hard work is the vehicle of choice for the great majority Hispanic parents on this upward journey. And the burgeoning buying power of Hispanics is proof that their values are paying off. Las mamas y los papas expect their children to work hard, too.

But another common burden of immigrant parents is that their children's life experiences, in a new land, are much different from their own. Many Hispanic students in school now are the first members of their families to speak English fluently. Their parents, in many cases, did not finish high school, let alone college.

In short, the love that many Hispanic youth get from home doesn't come with instructions for attaining the academic success they will need to move beyond survival to true prosperity.

This Back to School Issue of Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology is a resource for students like these, and others. Our "Engineering Students' Survival Guide" provides words of wisdom from some of the experts on how to overcome the most common obstacles to high achievement in college. Our "Top Grad Schools for Hispanic Engineers" article discusses the financial and professional hows, whys, and wherefores of reaching beyond a bachelor's degree. We also present role models as well as powerful career tips for those looking forward to life after academia.

The words on these pages speak to the need for young Hispanics to take on a different set of survival skills in embracing a new challenge: the challenge of mastering the technology that drives our nation's economy, and the challenge of learning where best to find the knowledge that will help them pick up where their forebears left off, on the road to a better life.

Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology, November/December 2003 print edition