USC student advocates for minority education
USC students looking to make a difference need look no further than David Hernandez, a junior majoring in political science and American studies and ethnicity, who won the Champions of Change: Winning the Future Across America Award last year and got the chance to present his proposal to President Barack Obama.
Change · David Hernandez, a junior majoring in political science and American studies and ethnicity, was one of 12 recipients of the 2011 Champions of Change Award. - Photo courtesy of David Hernandez
Obama announced Nov. 2 the White House will begin accepting applications for the 2012 Champions of Change.
Hernandez was one of the 12 recipients of the award, a White House initiative to recognize Americans attempting to stimulate the creation of high-qualified jobs. Hernandez’s proposal suggested increased education advocacy for immigrants.
Hernandez traveled to Washington, D.C. in September to present his award-winning proposal on how to better prepare minorities for college to the president.
“The Champion of Change Award recognizes everyday Americans of all ages for providing solutions and [implementing] changes in the community,” Hernandez said. “I felt honored to stand up there representing USC.”
Hernandez, an immigrant from Mexico, has always had a strong interest in immigrant rights. Hernandez attended a private high school and attended Santa Monica College before transferring to USC, but when he saw the poor reading and writing skills of his fellow classmates he was stunned at the educational disparities.
Hernandez was also influenced by his father’s strong work ethic.
“When I saw him doing manual labor, I felt choked up,” Hernandez said. “I saw how hard he was working to support me and my family. I realized I needed to make the most of my opportunities.”
Hernandez never thought he could attend USC until his entrepreneurship professor at Santa Monica College encouraged him to apply. The professor told Hernandez about his own story as an immigrant, and walked Hernandez through the application process. His professor’s advice inspired Hernandez to help educate minorities on the college process.
“My professor sat down with me for two and a half hours to look over my application,” Hernandez said. “This is when I realized how important it is for high school students to be informed about the college application process, including all the funding opportunities.”
During his first year at USC, Hernandez became an active member in USC Chicanos for Progressive Education, a program that sends undergraduates to overcrowded and underfunded high schools in South Los Angeles to mentor and inform students about the college application process.
“It’s nice to see someone from the same background as you because it really helps establish a connection,” Hernandez said. “It’s like showing them if I can do it, you can do it too.”
George Sanchez, professor of American studies and ethnicity and history, said the help Hernandez is providing local high school students is admirable.
“[Hernandez] has a real compassion for thinking about a whole range of issues, in his thinking through immigration issues, and how they relate to his own situation,” Sanchez said. “He is also a first generation college student who is trying to make the most of his opportunities. David cares deeply about the incorporation of everyone into American society.”
The article never once talks about Hernandez only helping minority students. It says he helps students from underfunded and overcrowded inner-city schools. Are these kids overwhelmingly Hispanic and Black? Yes. But his program is hardly racist. It is simply addressing the needs of kids who go to underfunded and overcrowded inner-city schools, no matter what color they are. Hernandez, and the program he is involved in, assigns mentors to such students. Oftentimes these students are fatherless, and the student-teacher ratio is too high for them to have much one-on-one time with their teachers. Hernandez and his colleagues act as mentors, helping them get through high school and apply to colleges. Helping them make the most of the opportunities available to them and maximizing their potential.
In doing so, they are, in theory, helping to raise the number and caliber of applicants to this country’s institutions of higher learning. More competition in admissions = more competition in undergrad classes = more competition in the job market. Competition is a good thing. An economist would tell you that increased competition in any market (that would include the job market) increases productive and allocative efficiency. What Hernandez and his colleagues are doing is tapping into a previously-untapped pool of academic talent in the inner-city. And he’s doing it with nothing but his own time, at no expense to the rest of us. That can only be a good thing in the long term, as it will lead to an America with more diverse, creative, productive, and efficient workers and less unskilled workers that conservatives like you guys like to complain about as being “drains on the system.” An America with more net tax payers and less net benefit receivers. An America that can better compete on the world stage.
How is a program that, if successful, will ultimately benefit the entire country at little to no cost to society racist? More importantly, why wouldn’t everyone be strongly in favor of such a program?
Seriously, if you are a non-ethnic person i.e. WASP spewing your white-guilt, bleeding heart liberal, crusader rhetoric…don’t bother. The day I graduated from SC, which was only 2 years ago, I read this long article discussing the fallacies of the college experience. Most colleges across the U.S. advocate for activism and liberal/progressive agendas. But ironically, this “Robin Hood” crusader thing is bull. It’s nothing but a facade for privileged white college students to patronize ethnic students, but black and Chicano students per se.
Identity politics is perpetual whining. Institutional racism exists if you don’t blend in with your career environment; don’t like it? then quit your job, and do your own thing. Ain’t nobody putting you under duress to be there. If they crack insensitive jokes or say things you don’t like, either put your foot down, or leave. Remember, if you don’t like the rules, then don’t engage.
USC’s academic prestige and competitiveness is attributed to the international students who pursue STEM field majors, not a bunch of schmoes who do these cheesy “McDegree” BAs. “International student” and “disenfranchised minority” student are two different things. And the former raises the bar academically, and the grading curves.
By the way, nice textbook style, rubber stamp write up. I took a few bullshyt identity politics classes too.
Nothing sadder than seeing the privileged SC alum lose his bladder at the sight of seeing accomplishments done by the “oooooooootttheeerrr”.
Seriously, I know you’re afraid and the fact that a non-white low income minority is getting recognition and accolades for something that was previously only alotted for rich people (who coincidentally most of the time tend to be “white”), but there’s nothing to be afraid of. No one is going to go to your home and force you to pay reparations and we are not intentionally trying to hurt your ego because you do have a very deep sense of wrong because you know you’re apart of the problem. You’re so deep in the privileged closet you’re finding Christmas presents.
His mission is not based on skin color, its based on helping immigrants get into higher education. Few people realize how diverse our country is in terms of immigrants. ONe of the things Mr. Hernandez points out is that immigrants have poor reading and writing skills because it is hard to learn English as a second language. So assuming it is based on skin color is wrong, it’s about helping people get the proper education.
As to the comment about identity politics, there IS institutional racism everywhere, whether you want to admit it or not. And there IS fault within the system. But the comment misses the point of the article. Is it about getting immigrants help with education? YES. Is Mr. Hernadez’s plan about playing identity politics? NO. It’s about educating people and helping people who need the extra push, just like students with learning disabilities, just think of this one as learning English and frequently coming from underfunded schools.
Great, let’s increase the identity politics classes here at SC. Let’s become activists and constantly find fault with “the system.” There’s institutional racism everywhere, yup.
“Hey, I graduated from SC Mr. Interviewer, now give me that job!…(mr. interviewer)But your degree is worthless. What marketability does a identity politics degree bestow?…None, it’s all about SC-connections, right?. …(interviewer) I’ll call you if uhhh…there’s something there. By the way, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Is his mission based primarily on Skin Color?
I thought that was what racists are all about?