Last week, UT hosted The White House Hispanic Community Action Summit featuring representatives from the Obama Administration.
The Summit, which targeted Hispanic communities, addressed issues like education and the economy.
Francisco Sanchez, Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade was eager to mention the newly announced decline in the nation’s unemployment rate to 8.3 percent.
This is good news for students who are nearing graduation and are anxious about entering an increasingly competitive job market, and for those who put off college and are considering getting a degree.
The economic downturn discouraged many potential students who couldn’t afford it from applying for loans in order to attend a university.
Sanchez said those students who are finding ways to achieve some sort of secondary education, regardless of their financial situation, are not doing so in vain.
Sanchez cited the addition of more than 3.5 million jobs to the market, many of which require some sort of secondary education.
“President Obama is focused on investing in student development as well as work force development for 21st century jobs,” he said, “Those jobs include advanced manufacturing included both college level and non college required skills science and engineering is in huge demand.”
Sanchez also addressed concerns about access to education in an economy that increasingly demands at least some college education.
“The administration is committed to making college generally more affordable,” he said, “So that every young person who wants to and has done the work to get into college can do so.”
Gabriel Sandoval, Senior Advisor for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics was also in support of students obtaining a secondary education, even encouraging those planning to work in the civil services after graduation.
“The White House is focused on ensuring that students don’t feel indebted for public service,” he said, citing policies that would forgive student loans after an established number of years of service in jobs like teaching.
Sanchez stressed that a college education is not necessary to get the higher paying jobs. College offers students many opportunities for growth and self-improvement.
“ I still believe that making an investment in yourself is the best investment that you can make,” he said.
“The president is committed to building an economy that’s built to last that will create jobs across the border, so that we can hire the many talented students that are coming out of our universities.”
Sanchez’s job not only focuses on increasing Hispanic citizen’s access to a higher education, he is an advocate for anyone interested in obtaining a degree.
“You are showing your patriotism by deciding to go to college, by deciding to stay in college and by graduating,” he said, “ When we have a more informed electorate, we have a more perfect union.”
Trinity Morgan can be reached at tmorgan@spartans.ut.edu.