A new advertisement released this week educates Hispanic parents on the importance of encouraging their children to go to college. The ad was sponsored by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. According to a recent Pew Hispanic Center study, the majority of young Hispanics are not pursuing college degrees because their parents do not understand the college application process. Only 13 percent of Hispanics in the U.S. between the ages of 26 and 65 have a bachelor’s degree.
U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan spoke at the Newseum, where the advertisement unveiled.` He said President Obama plans to lead the world in percent of college graduates by the year 2020. The Hispanic community is a key factor in making this goal by driving up, “the number of Hispanic boys and girls, young men and young women graduating from high school and taking that next step to getting that higher education degree”.
Hispanics currently represent about 15 percent of the U.S. population. They also represent about 20 percent of all students K-12. Frank Alvarez, the president and CEO of The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, said these statistics are expected to increase with the 2010 Census. “The reality is that the Hispanic population will be perched to really play an important role in helping the President, the Secretary and others return the U.S. to international leadership in terms of an education population,” Alvarez said.
The advertisement was produced in both Spanish and English speaking languages to reach a broader audience and is expected to air on television for about a year.