In the agricultural community of Immokalee, Florida, known for its large migrant worker population, a 40-year-old tutoring and mentoring program has made big strides in promoting higher education as a path to prosperity — and helping students prepare, apply and be able to afford college.
Just before starting her freshman year at Immokalee High School, Jazmin Lara-Vasquez was recruited to join the Guadalupe Center Tutor Corps program. Over the last four years, the now high school senior has tutored kindergarten to second-grade students after school, assisting them with various subjects such as reading, writing and math. In addition to receiving payment for tutoring, Lara-Vasquez also earns scholarship funds to support her college education later on.
“Having been here for years, I think it’s been an amazing experience. I’ve been able to grow as a person. I’ve learned things about me,” Lara-Vazquez said. “And I’ve gotten preparation for what life after high school looks like.”
Lara-Vazquez, 18, plans to attend the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Since 1984, the Guadalupe Center has served approximately 1,950 children and youth a year in the Immokalee school system, ranging in age from infants and children in their Early Childhood Program to their after-school tutoring and summer programs and their Tutor Corps. According to the center, over 94% of its program participants have obtained college degrees and initiated careers spanning various fields.
Currently, 160 former Guadalupe Center students are enrolled in colleges nationwide and another 125 high school students are actively preparing to attend a higher education institution.
These numbers are significant considering that, according to the latest U.S. census data, only 6% of adults in Immokalee hold a bachelor’s degree, placing it among the lowest rates nationwide, and almost 24% live in poverty.
Nearly 4 in 10 (39%) of Immokalee’s residents are born outside the U.S.; 73% are Hispanic and…
Read the full article here
