GSE alumnus organizes Latino Education Advocacy Days at UB

Jose Rivera (EdD ’13, Educational Administration) organized this year’s LEAD Summit IX at UB on March 29. The annual summit is an international event focusing on the educational outcomes of Latino students. The event was held in a town hall format, bringing together UB undergraduates and students from local high schools to engage in active dialogue on issues facing Latino students.

The focus of this year’s summit was Latinas, who make up 1 in 5 women in the U.S. and 1 in 4 female students in public schools. “Traditionally, males carried patriarchal qualities that placed them at the center of the family but those roles have changed in recent years,” said Rivera. “Today, Latinas are attaining exceptional levels of success and they are doing it by themselves as single mothers and while raising one or more children on their own.”

The summit featured sessions on access to college; the factors contributing to the low graduation rate of Hispanic females; and the employment outlook for Latinas. The presenters included GSE faculty members Nathan Daun-Barnett, Henry Durand and Sarah A. Robert, as well as other local educators, agencies and businesses. The overarching goal of the summit was to provide support and information to Latina students to help them realize their potential for success.

“You can’t just wish away the academic failures of our students and that includes Latina students,” said Rivera. “What most of us have learned from history is that it is to our advantage as a nation to help them realize their dreams and potentials rather than devaluing their humanity.”