Samantha: Ok, mom. I'm off!
My name is Samantha Hernandez.
Mom: You take care, ok?
Samantha: I'm 19 years old. I live in the city of LA, California with my mom and my three sisters.
Samantha: I attend California State University, at Dominguez Hills.
Samantha: So, Mr. Molina, which point do I graph first?
Mr. Molina: Ok, remember, Samantha, the first point is...
Samantha: I'm attracted to the kind of profession where I can interact with people, especially because I like to help them.
That's why I'm looking for a profession where I can meet with people face to face.
Samantha: Right now I'm majoring in Sociology but I'm thinking of transferring to Public Administration.
Dr. Quintanar: Hi Sami! How are you?
Samantha: Fine, and you?
Dr. Quintanar: Fine, honey. Come on in. Tell me how you've been.
Samantha: Good, fine.
Dr. Imelda Quintanar, Associate Director, Educational Opportunity Program: Samantha is a very pleasant girl,
She's a girl who is always very positive , very devoted to her studies.
Samantha: I just finished my summer classes.
Dr. Quintanar: She is not only going to get her B.A., but I'm sure she'll go on to get her M.A., and her Ph.D.
My goal is to connect her with other programs here at the university where they'll help her to get into that Ph.D. program.
Dr. Mildred Garcia, President, California State University, Dominguez Hills: One of the problems Latino students
have is that they're not given the information they need to go to college.
They're also afraid they'll run into a stumbling block when it comes to money and financial aid.
They don't understand that there are a lot of resources available to go to college.
Because there are Federal and State resources, and resources granted by individual institutions.
Dr. Quintanar: The Department of Educational Opportunity helps students from low-income families who are the first
in their family to go to college, the first in their generation to go to college.
Samantha: The scholarships I'm getting help me pay for my college expenses.
The main one I receive is through the Educational Opportunity Program.
That one helps cover my book costs and my tuition.
Samantha: So, let's talk about next week's activities, which is Spirit Week.
Samantha: I also get help through a work program at school, the Educational Opportunity Program.
Dr. Quintanar: She's also the President of the TORO Network,
and she has done a lot to help other students.
Samantha: If you have to wait, keep going to the office, or calling them.
Samantha: TORO Network is a student organization that helps new students who have just arrived at school.
Cesar De Leon: The most important thing about this network program is that it helps students, and that's what she does.
Samantha: It's very important for me to mentor this group because just like me, when they first get to college,
they're pretty lost. And it's possible they had counselors like the ones I had, that told me this wasn't possible.
Daniel Coronado: My counselor used to tell me that my grades weren't good enough, so I'd never get to college.
Jacqueline Villanueva: Some students haven't had a good relationship with their parents, and this program
makes them feel they have a family, and so they don't feel lost. They feel support here.
Dr. Garcia: A family has to understand that to get ahead in this country,
you have to have a university degree. That's very important, and so is giving them the emotional support.
Samantha: The person that really helped me get here is my mom. She helped me fill out all the financial aid forms,
she helped me find other scholarships, and she helped me pick the college that was best for me.
Ena Duran: My dad thought studying was a waste of time. He used to say that you should work physically,
work hard, save, and make money. But I don't agree; I think differently.
Ena Duran: I always tell them to get an education, that school is the best investment in life because no one can take that away from you.
Karen Hernandez: My mom has been a great inspiration for us. She has sacrificed a lot to give us what we need
to finish school and go on to college. And now we're very proud of her because she's going to college, too.
She works by day and goes to school at night.
And so the three of us are now going to college: Samantha, my mom, and me!
Samantha: It would be wonderful if my sister Karen, my little sisters,
the twins, my mom, and me, finally all graduated from college. That's my dream.
Paid for by the U.S. Department of Education.
For more information on student federal aid, visit www.studentaid.ed.gov.
