Family an important factor in Omaha student's college choice

OMAHA - Her brother made it to a two-year college, earning a degree in Web design.

And her sister is working toward an associate's degree at Metropolitan Community College.

So, Daisy Campos might be the first in her family to attend - and hopefully graduate from - a four-year university.

``They tell me I'm their hope,'' Daisy says.

The Omaha South High School senior, who has taken all of the classes offered in the school's dual-language program, has been accepted to several universities in Nebraska and dreams of becoming a family practitioner in a Hispanic neighborhood.

``It's not about the classes,'' she says. ``I plan on minoring in Spanish ... and serving the Latino community.''

Originally from southern California, Daisy, the youngest of three, moved to South Omaha three years ago.

In her three years at South High, she has maintained a 4.0 grade point average, but she knows college will be more difficult and that there is a lot of work ahead if she wants to continue on to medical school.

While Daisy has spoken Spanish all her life, when she heard about South High's dual-language program, she was immediately interested.

The dual language program is a full immersion in two languages - one day's classes are taught only in English, the next in Spanish.

Daisy is one of about 100 students enrolled in the dual-language honors program, and she has taken all the available math, social studies, science, Spanish and information technology classes offered.

Daisy said one of the most significant aspects of the program is that it teaches the small words, phrases and expressions that are hard to translate, let alone learn, if you're not immersed in the language.

Welcome to South O

Luckily for Daisy, it's easy to experience the immersion of two languages outside of school.

The South Omaha neighborhood she lives in is filled with an array of languages, but Spanish is predominantly heard along the streets.

The area has always been home to an ethnic population, whether it's Czech, Italian, Polish, German or Hispanic. And all of these different nationalities and ethnic groups called South Omaha home for just one reason: the stockyards.

With a history dating back to the late 1800s, South Omaha was known as the largest livestock center in the world for more than a century.

But the South Omaha stockyards finally gave way to the meatpacking behemoths of IBP and Tyson Foods Inc. and closed in 1999. Today the 12-story, Romanesque-style Livestock Exchange Building still visually dominates the area, overlooking the dilapidated pens, abandoned buildings and string of unused railroad tracks that dissect the South Omaha neighborhood. But no longer does the building demand as much reverence as it once did.

That admiration was shifted to the next most important structure in South Omaha - Omaha South High School.

Sitting on a small hill on 24th and L streets, the largest high school in the state overlooks the massive stockyards and the newly renovated Livestock Exchange Building.

And while the school pays homage to the meatpacking industry with a red bull mascot and a team name of the Packers, the stockyards no longer play as important a role as they once did in the lives of South High students, graduates and parents.

Now the most vital export that comes out of South Omaha is its students - students South High has been cultivating for years.

South High Language

Leticia Rojas-Larios, the dual-language facilitator at South High, has been working closely with Daisy since the fall.

And while it doesn't fall under her job title, Rojas-Larios has taken a hands-on approach to helping Daisy fill out and check over all of the necessary forms and essays needed for college and scholarship applications.

Rojas-Larios realizes the stress Daisy is under, and she's made it a point to talk to her about the nervousness in waiting for college acceptance letters to appear in her mailbox - and more importantly, scholarships.

Daisy has since opened several acceptance letters from universities and colleges across the state. But scholarship packages could help her decide between her top two choices: the University of Nebraska at Omaha or the College of St. Mary.

And whether Daisy likes it or not, she is an example of the hard work South High teachers have accomplished to get first-generation Hispanic students to apply to college.

Karen Clark, the advanced education coordinator counselor at South High, said one of the hardest parts of her job is convincing first-generation students that college is even a choice.

``We start by telling them college is a possibility,'' she said.

Then Clark shows students a chart cross-referencing education obtained and salaries earned, outlining the average increase in pay students can earn over a lifetime if they go to college and earn advanced degrees.

``I think a lot of the parents want (their children) to go to college,'' Clark said. ``But don't have the ability to pay for it.

``A lot of the kids need to help out at home. For them to spend additional money on things like education, it's a big deal.''

But one of the things Clark hopes she can instill is that if the high school can show students and parents the difference in what they'll earn over a lifetime if they attend college, the family will be more apt to support their children's educational aspirations.

Clark believes her work has paid off - which is why she hasn't retired after more than 25 years on the job.

Besides, she's seen a definite increase in South High graduates attending college, especially two-year colleges, and wants to help even more kids further their education.

Clark thinks first-generation college students feel a two-year school isn't as overwhelming as a four-year institution.

She has also noticed that schools such as Metropolitan Community College and Iowa Western Community College have done well in recruiting Hispanic students, especially because they visit the school often.

``The more people you have visiting with students, the better,'' she said. ``Send some of your sharp Hispanic kids, the (high school) kids are looking for people like them.''

Daisy said the biggest factor pushing her towards college has been the counselor's office itself.

A lot of students don't make it to the office, Daisy said, but there's a lot of information about colleges, scholarships and financial aid for students to shift through and learn from.

Most, if not all, of the pamphlets and handouts offered are also available in Spanish. And the counselors are more than willing to work with students and their parents to read over material and fill out forms.

But no matter how much information the counselor's office provides, one of the biggest hurdles many Hispanics students - Daisy included - have to overcome is the distance involved when they go off to college.

Clark said for first-generation students it's a big deal to attend a school even 60 miles away, like the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Daisy's mother, Romona Campos, says while it's important her daughter attends college, she and her husband feel better knowing Daisy will be close to her Omaha home.

``We feel a bit nervous,'' Romona said in Spanish, ``but we know that (Daisy) is going to college to have a better life and more opportunities than we ever had.''

Daisy's parents went on to say that South High has done a great job in preparing Daisy for college, but they want colleges and universities to do better at working one-on-one with students who are new to the college experience.

Clark said one of the important things college and university recruiters do is not only focus one-on-one with the student but also recruit the family - focusing especially on the mother.

There really needs to be home visits to get the parents involved in the college process, she said, as well as campus visits for the entire family. That way, when the time comes, parents feel more comfortable sending their child off to college.

``Anytime they can get kids on campus, it's a big thing,'' Clark said. ``I think kids here need to know that it can be just like home.''

Because Daisy plans to attend college in Omaha, she still wants to live at home with her family.

``Hispanics don't think about leaving home,'' she said, ``I'd get homesick and besides, UNO's dorms were too crowded.''

Instead, Daisy plans on buying a car, commuting to college and battling with parking.

But no matter how hard college may be or how far the commute, Rojas-Larios knows Daisy's brother and sister won't let her quit.

``They want her to finish,'' she said. ``They don't want her to go halfway.''