ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : A Boost for Minority College Students

A college campus can be a daunting place at first, even for a student living at home and commuting. The classes are tougher than in high school, the other students are strangers, the instructors can appear distant. Entering higher education can be especially tough for those who are the first in their families to attend college: There is no parent, brother or sister at home to share experiences and offer hints on coping. That’s why mentor programs of the type at Orange Coast College and Irvine Valley College are valuable.

For the past few years, the two campuses have had groups of student and faculty advisers to help minority students to make the transition from high school to college. A counselor who founded one of the programs aptly compared it to a family providing role models. Students can get hints on where and how to seek financial aid, how to use their study time and simply how to feel more at home in college.

College officials say that as Orange County becomes more ethnically diverse, they are seeing more students who are the first in their families to attend college.

A University of California survey last year found that nearly three-quarters of the white applicants for admission had fathers who had some college experience. The number dropped to 54% for Asian American applicants; for Mexican Americans who applied the number was 20%.

There was an economic correlation as well: Median income of the parents of the Mexican Americans was $29,000 a year; for Asian Americans it was $38,000; for whites, $70,000. The more education a person has, the more money he or she is likely to earn in the future.

Unfortunately, the poorer the family, the harder it will be to come up with the tuition. Although scholarships and loans are available, a large percentage of students still cannot afford to enroll.

Many students benefiting from the mentor programs at Orange Coast and Irvine Valley said they plan to continue their education at major universities. That is a sign the program has helped them adapt and widened their horizons, a key aspect of higher education.

It is heartening also to see students in the programs presenting themselves as role models and spreading the word to friends and family members who are considering college that they indeed can continue their education. Opening the college doors to people from all ethnic backgrounds helps everyone, as does a better-educated society.