Salto Al Futuro, Giving Young Latinos a Brighter Future
Chelsea Jordan
Contributing Writer
A student led initiative in Montgomery County is giving Latino students a better chance at a bright future.
The program called Salto Al Futuro, was started at John F. Kennedy High School to address problems in graduation rates at the school. Founded in the 2006-2007 school year, the program was aimed at increasing high school success and preparing Latino students for higher education, according to Marisol Benitez, a counselor at Kennedy High School and one of Salto Al Futuro’s creators.
“The group started off with twenty ninth graders and sixteen juniors,” said Benitez, noting that enrollment in the program reached as high as 150 students. “Since then, every Latino in Salto has graduated.”
Students enrolled in the program are expected to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and take at least one honors or Advanced Placement class. They are given resources like tutoring, SAT prep and team building to promote academic and social success that will benefit them in the future.
“Meeting and interacting with successful Latino people often gives group members incentive to work harder,” said Benitez. The students work in groups creating support systems that act as “familias” for the students. “The activities during group meetings show their potential and allow them to evaluate their own skills while improving them at the same time,” said Benitez.
The group also gives back to the community, with students regularly donating bread to local homeless shelters and being involved as translators and ambassadors for various school events, according to Benitez.
One of the main goals of Salto Al Futuro, in addition to creating a support group to motivate students, is to prepare enrolled Latinos for higher education. The high school graduation rate for students in the program has been 100 percent, with 95 percent of students going on to college.
“Being introduced to colleges also provides students a sense of excitement and anticipation for a new life in which they can find independence from family while going on to become successful,” said Benitez. Many parents want their children to be involved with the group, with students often having siblings who are alumni of Salto Al Futuro.
Junior accounting major Taara Fardanesh said the program’s resources and goals are something that she thinks would be beneficial in schools all over.
“Freshman year is usually super stressful if you are new to the workload and teaching style. Building skills early is really smart,” said Fardanesh. She said that her high school did not offer very much SAT prep and that students in Salto Al Futuro are getting a great advantage.
As for what is next for Salto Al Futuro, Benitez said they hoped to get sponsorship and funding so that they can offer the program to the many students wanting to join. She also said she would love if group members could maintain 3.0 GPAs and increase SAT scores in the future.
“Salto has been through many challenges, but in the end it still stands as a group that motivated young Latinos in going to college,” said Benitez. “One can ask an alumnus how Salto has benefitted him or her, and that person will most likely come up with an immediate response.”
Short URL: http://www.lavozlatinaumd.com/?p=1854
Posted by admin
on Dec 11 2011. Filed under Local News, News.
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