Bridging The Education Gap

For 40 years, Wayne State University has been at the forefront of Latin American studies.

A conference on campus helped students bridge the education gap and prepare for successful futures. The theme for this year’s conference was “Urban Revival and the Latino/a and Latin American Community: Challenges and Opportunies.” For the first time, the conference also featured a diversity career fair with more than 20 local companies and community agencies.

These college students are the face of changing demographics in America.

“In the country in general, Latinos are now the largest minority, and we’re projected to be the largest single ethnic group by 2050,” said Ethriam Cash Brammer, Associate Director of WSU’s Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies.

But not enough Latinos are receiving college degrees. The conference is addressing the low education attainment.

Only 13.9% of Latino/a adults have college degrees, which is less than half the national average of 29.9%. Only 3.8% of Latino/as have an advanced degree, compared to 10.7% of whites and 6.5% of African-Americans.

Brammer says that must change: “This isn’t really a Latino issue, this is an American issue. It really will effect, in just a couple of decades, our standing economically as a global power in the world.”

The conference has grown in its three years to become a regional gathering.

This year, students from six states presented findings of their research.

Click here to go to the Wayne State Center For Latino/a and Latin American Studies website.