Like many disgruntled teenagers, Carolina Cardoza began having trouble in school when she was 14. She was hanging out with the wrong crowd, slacking off and receiving barely passing grades.
Throughout it all, her mother and grandmother insisted education was the way. So she kept at it, eventually finding her way to CSU Monterey Bay, where she'll graduate next year.
Besides her mother's prodding, Cardoza found inspiration in her grandparents' experience. They were refugees from El Salvador's civil wars and didn't have a chance to get an education beyond elementary school.
"They tell me they're so proud of me," Cardoza said. "I want to do this for myself, but also for them. They never had an opportunity to pursue higher education."
A recent study by the Migration Policy Institute found that second-generation Latinas, children of immigrants like Cardoza, are making educational strides akin to those now achieved by third-generation white women.
Forty-six percent are enrolled in college, compared to 37 percent of second-generation Latinos and 26 percent of Latino immigrants.
This finding is tempered by a disturbing counterbalance — only 33 percent of second-generation Latinas have received an associate or higher degree by the time they are 25. Clearly, not all who enroll in college earn a diploma.
"It's clear that immigrant-origin young adults have different barriers and family support structures," said Jeanne Batalova, researcher for the Migration Policy Institute and co-author of "Up for Grabs: The Gains and Prospects of First- and Second-Generation Young Adults."
"Young adults who can rely on their families and those who are not poor generally have stronger generation outcomes," she said. "Many young Hispanics are poor, have minor children and, as a result, this group's educational performance levels are quite low."
Differences among immigrant youth, their educational attainment and the barriers they face in pursuit of higher education have become more interesting to researchers as California's immigrant population continues to grow. About 53 percent of California's youth are of immigrant origin — either immigrants themselves or children of immigrants.
The recent study documents some important differences between immigrants and second-generation Latinos. READ MORE
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