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The pandemic prompted some Latino college students to rethink their plans after graduation

2021-08-30T02:43:33.431Z


Many students, especially Latinos, have been forced to reorganize their lives by the health crisis and have turned to graduate programs to strengthen their resumes as the job market recovers.


By Francisco Velasquez - CNBC

The coronavirus pandemic has been a challenge for Latino students in the past year, and it has shaped their future plans as well.

Many opted for graduate school to add another degree to their résumé before hitting the job market.

Enrollments in graduate programs

are up 4.4% this spring,

compared with a 1% increase in spring 2020, according to the National Center for Student Information Research.

Latino students continued to see the largest increase:

14% this spring compared to an 8% increase a year ago.

Chelsea Hylton, a University of Southern California graduate student studying digital journalism, said job market uncertainty was what prompted her to apply to graduate school, with the intention of expanding her portfolio.

[Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic]

"Without the pandemic, I don't think I would have applied to graduate school or even considered it a viable option," Hylton said.

During this time, however, Hylton contracted COVID-19.

Away from her home in Los Angeles, she says the time she spent locked up in her Wisconsin apartment was difficult, but it

made her re-evaluate her priorities: family and friends.

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"The pandemic reminded me that days are not guaranteed," he

said.

"If I have the opportunity to know how people are and to accompany them, then I need to take advantage of that."

Hylton, who is now back in Los Angeles, says she looks forward to the different opportunities her graduate study program will bring her.

But for the remaining two semesters of her three-semester program, Hylton plans to work on her personal growth with an open mind.

"I know that not everything is always going to be positive," he said.

"But I think having a positive mindset can help a little more."

Meanwhile, Hylton is planning to move on with the setbacks that life brings, with the goal of one day writing for the Los Angeles Times or The New York Times and eventually winning a Pulitzer.

Chelsea Hylton, a graduate student at the University of Southern California, is pursuing a master's degree in journalism.Courtesy Annika Ide

Some students chose to go to law school amid the pandemic.

The number of students applying to law school

increased more than 13% from last year to nearly 80,000,

according to the Law School Admission Council.

More than 10,000 of them were Latino students, almost 13% more than a year ago.

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Gabriela Rivero, a graduate of Harvard University's sociology department, completed a remote home version of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT-Flex) last June.

The application cycle has been very competitive, Rivero said.

Additional factors such as living at home, maintaining a long-distance relationship with your partner in Cuba, and preparing to move have exacerbated an already difficult process.

"The pandemic increased my anxiety," Rivero said.

"But I also think it's given me a little

more confidence just because I know we're all going through things

and life is short, so why not take a chance?"

This young Hispanic woman was accepted into 18 universities thanks to her academic performance

May 20, 202102: 30

As graduation approached, Rivero spent most of her time volunteering at the school's immigration and refugee clinic and completing her thesis.

It aimed to measure how students felt on campus about their Latino identity, such as how connected they felt to their culture, and the discussion around language and terminology.

Rivero found a similar perspective among the students.

"They all identified as Latinx but had a very different conception of what that meant," he

said.

"They felt part of this group, but still out of place."

Rivero's macro goals, however, include working in the areas of politics and social justice.

Gabriela Rivero, a freshman at the University of Miami School of Law, CNBC

"Eventually, I want to be an immigration attorney," Rivero said.

"I want to help people who often find themselves in a situation where they don't have access to what they need."

Rivero attends the University of Miami School of Law on a full tuition scholarship awarded to him by the Miami Scholarship Public Interest Program.

Rivero said her plan for the future is to move into public policy, hoping to one day become a senator and eventually president.

Francesca Little is among those who enrolled in a law school program in 2020. At the time, Little said she felt she had nothing to lose, and despite the pandemic, she was glad she made the decision to go to Stetson University School of Law.

However, their experience thus far has been challenging.

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"Due to the pandemic,

many of the normal interactions and social events and activities that allow you to get to know and better understand your peers are lost,

" Little said.

"Things as small as

meeting other students can help you stay sane."

Little is interested in becoming an attorney concentrating on the areas of immigration, social justice, and international law.

And as she moves into her second year of law school, Little is excited about creating a Spanish-language guide to common legal terms and concepts during her time at the social justice advocacy concentration.

Francesca Little, a student at Stetson University School of Law, majoring in advocacy for social justice Courtesy Francesca Little

"I want to work on this guide as something that I can leave behind," he said.

"I think it's about access and this way, if a student or someone in the community needs it, they can use it as a resource."

However, attending law school can vary for each person.

And a part of that may be influenced by a number of

financial and academic factors that you have to deal with early on.

Sydney Montgomery, CEO of S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting, specializes in helping first-generation and minority students applying to universities and law schools.

A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Montgomery's work focuses on dismantling systemic racism in education.

A student's academic journey is dramatically influenced by the resources they can access, Montgomery said.

His passion for helping students began before he went to college, which he attributes to his involvement in his church and his upbringing in Montgomery County, Maryland.

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“It made me realize that while we talk a lot about the education gap in this country,

we don't talk much about who is at home and the resources, information and support that person receives,

” Montgomery said.

It's not that people aren't smart enough, it's that they just don't know the rules of the game,

or maybe they don't even know there is a game, Montgomery said.

"I think the process has become much more stressful than necessary," he said.

For some students, the pandemic provided a necessary break

Aisha Street just earned her bachelor's degree in media entrepreneurship from Georgia State University this spring.

It took him six years as he struggled with mental health issues.

He was planning to go to law school in Louisiana, but instead said he will take it easy for the near future.

Aisha Street graduated from Georgia State University, Class of 2021, with a Diploma in Media Entrepreneurship. Cady Studios

"The pandemic gave me an opportunity to think and reevaluate what my wants and needs are,

" Street said.

"Right now, I'm taking more time in law school to save up and pay off some of my debt."

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Street aims to work on entertainment law after gaining experience with an Atlanta-based music label company.

But in the meantime, his goal is to land a job in the entertainment industry, with plans to pay off his student loans, until he is more financially stable.

Regardless of what students are going through, Montgomery said it's important for them to realize that there are people and resources available to help them.

"If you feel like you're struggling or aren't really sure if your school has good resources,

reach out to a community or group of people that you think can support you,

" Montgomery said.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-08-30

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