Contact: Laura Lara-Brady, Ph.D. & Giovanni Gonzalez
Email: llarabrady@gmail.com & giovanni@latinosamorir.com

PROFESSIONAL LATINO GROUP WANTS TO PUSH STUDENTS TO THE EDGE
Latino organization aims to increase graduation rates in the Bay Area

School? Peer pressure? Money? Religion? Mom and dad? Or perhaps something below the radar that educators might not understand or miss? What is behind the statistics that more than 87% Latina/o, 88% Native Americans, and 85% African Americans, among other underrepresented young adults in the U.S., never receive a Bachelor’s degree? (Chicano Studies Research Center, 2006). These findings alerted Latinos A Morir (LAM) members, a professional organization for lovers of Latin American culture, to take action and make a difference in the Bay Area. A partnership between Giovanni Gonzalez (LAM CEO) and Laura Lara-Brady Ph.D. (LAM member) was initiated to create a non-profit organization with the goal of increasing the graduation rates of underrepresented groups in the Bay Area and pushing students’ educational boundaries to the edge.

The EDGE-ucation non-profit organization will work towards diminishing the achievement gap, by providing mentoring services and local field trips for high school students in the Bay Area. The first school to receive its services will be Hayward High School via the Puente program (http://www.puente.net/), where 89 students are already lined up to be matched with talented and successful LAM members in the community. To become a mentor, please visit: http://latinosamorir.com/philanthropy/mentoring-program/mentor-application/.

The first fundraiser event for this organization, Rumba for a Cause, will be held at 5A5, 244 Jackson Street SF, Friday March 5th at 10pm. One hundred percent of the profits will go towards the EDGE-ucation organization. People not attending the event can also make a donation through the website http://latinosamorir.com/rumba-for-a-cause-lam-non-profit/

The low numbers of high school/college graduation rates and college attainment among underrepresented groups is not a reason to believe that they cannot achieve academically, but a reason to question how we, as a community and educators, are supporting their academic success (Lara, 2009).

Laura Lara-Brady, Ph.D. is a member of LAM and the new LAM Philanthropy Director. She received her Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado and wrote a dissertation that studied: A Mixed Method Study of the Factors Associated with the Academic Achievement of Latina/o College Students From Predominantly Mexican American Backgrounds: A Strengths-Based Approach.

Latinos A Morir (LAM) was founded in 2001 as an informal group of friends, and has now grown to a network of approximately 3,000+ members who love the Latin American culture. LAM is now the largest and most successful Latin American social group in the Bay Area that promotes Latin American culture through social events.

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If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Laura Lara-Brady Ph.D. or with Giovanni Gonzalez, email giovanni@lationsamorir.com.

Chicano Studies Research Center & Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. (2006, March). Falling Through the Cracks: Critical Transitions in the Latina/o Educational Pipeline. Paper presented at the Latina/o Education Summit, Los Angeles, CA.

Lara, Laura. A Mixed Method Study of Factors Associated with the Academic Achievement of Latina/o College Students From Predominantly Mexican American Backgrounds: A Strengths-Based Approach. Published Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2009