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Mesa, Arizona is a community that is home to about 125,000 Hispanics and Latinos - over 25% of the city’s population.  Approximately 40% ...

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Con Ganas, Into the Future

Con ganas has always come easily to me because when I am in, I am all in.  If I make the effort to attend a meeting, then I am going to take notes and try to internalize the message.  I talk to college students about happiness and success con ganas   In Spanish, con ganas means with gusto, with vigor, in a lively way, wholeheartedly.  I learned about this principle when I attended a Latino Student Conference, sponsored by the Mesa School district and supported by community members and local institutions of higher learning. 



The theme of the event encouraged Hispanic high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to work hard and to be outstanding students.  The following video was produced to explain the program.



As shown in the footage from the conference, Latino teenagers filled the building, each working toward a better future.  I watched as the students mingled, and gathered together as groups of friends.  Among all of those students, I only heard 1 pair of students speaking Spanish to one another.  Some of the presenters peppered their lectures with familiar Spanish phrases and references to the Chicano culture, but this group of students clearly represented the average young adult American.




With support from community leaders such as fire-fighters, city councilmen, police officers, and city employees, the youth in attendance were given information about creating a successful future.  Everyone in the room believed in the power of education, and the necessity for it to be accessible to all. 

Now I will help interested Latino students enjoy college success, and I will do it con ganas.  So many Hispanic students have proven themselves to be bright, hard-working, and incredibly grateful.  Although few have parents that are able to guide them into American higher education systems because they have not been there themselves, these students are goal oriented and determined to fulfill their parents' dreams.  Con ganas, we can work together to create a bright future for our community,

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