Zaragoza: For Hispanics, tremendous gains in educational attainment have not translated into greater prosperity

LAREDO, Texas – When it comes to educational attainment levels, Hispanic communities have made tremendous gains. But that has not, on the whole, translated into greater prosperity.

This is the view of Dr. Federico Zaragoza, a Laredo native and former president of the College of Southern Nevada.

Zaragoza gave an interview to the Rio Grande Guardian ahead of a speech on the subject he was due to make to a League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) event in Laredo. 

“We have made some tremendous gains, but that has not translated to prosperity, and there are good reasons for that. Many of our Latino students are not graduating in areas of high demand or that have that value-added proposition that STEM careers have,” Zaragoza said.

“So, today, there are a lot of questions about how do we get our young people to get into these areas that are emerging. We are not doing a good job of creating those pathways.”

But even if Hispanic leaders were able to create such pathways, Zaragoza said, there are not enough programs.

“Here is the data, we’re graduating more Latinos than we’ve ever had. Almost two million graduates from Hispanic-serving institutions every year. And yet, we haven’t seen the needle move. And that’s because most of them are in the liberal arts area, they’re in teaching. Very few of them are in the STEM areas. Very few in these areas that are game changers.”

Zaragoza said it is imperative that Hispanic communities and groups such as LULAC “start demanding that we create better programs, better programming, programming that is based on opportunity.”

Zaragoza said in his experience, the education sector has always had prosperity “at the back end” of the prosperity scale.

“Let’s not forget that it’s not just about getting a degree. It’s about a good life. It’s about contributing to the prosperity of the whole community. That is what I am going to focus in my speech to LULAC tonight,” Zaragoza said.

“LULAC has a lot to offer because we’re in this uncertain time period for some of these programs that took years to develop. There is a possibility that they’re going to change or evolve or be eliminated. I think LULAC needs to be part of that conversation.”

Editor’s Note: Here, below, is a video interview the Rio Grande Guardian secured with Dr. Zaragoza at a luncheon hosted by the Laredo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In his speech to the group, Zaragoza focused on the likely impact of artificial intelligence on border communities.

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The College of Southern Nevada is one of the largest multi-campus higher education institutions in the country, serving approximately 50,000 students. 

Under Dr. Zaragoza’s leadership, the college was designated as a national Leader College of Distinction by Achieving the Dream in 2019. 

Dr. Zaragoza’s contributions have earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the Ohtli Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Government of Mexico to individuals and organizations that have empowered the Mexican diaspora and paved the way for new generations of Mexican American and Latino leaders.

Dr. Zaragoza’s accolades also include the Education Brillante Award from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and the Texas Association of Community Colleges Carl Nelson Leadership Award.

He has served on numerous boards, including the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) as co-chair of the Commission on Economic & Workforce Development, the Las Vegas Urban Chamber, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Board of Governors.

Dr. Zaragoza’s academic credentials are extensive. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, a master’s degree in Adult and Vocational Education, an Educational Specialist (ED.S) degree in Industrial and Technical Education from the University of Wisconsin–Stout, and a Ph.D. in Urban Education from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

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