NORTHRIDGE : Forum to Provide Advice for Latinas

Gabriela Vargas knows what it’s like to break with family tradition.

Vargas, a first-generation Mexican-American, said her parents were testy at first when she decided to go to college, an unusual move for women in her family.

“They’d say, ‘Why are you coming home so late and what is all this money you’re spending?’ ” she said.

Today, Vargas is a senior in mechanical engineering at Cal State Northridge and one of several CSUN student role models involved in the annual Young Latina Forum sponsored by the campus chapter of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. The forum, scheduled for April 23, aims to help teen-age Latinas, who organizers say have an especially difficult time overcoming cultural and economic barriers to college and career.

The forum, first held two years ago, has expanded due to increased interest. This year, 300 ninth-graders are signed up--100 more than last year. The participants, who are considered at risk for becoming pregnant or dropping out of school, will attend a day of seminars on self-worth, and career and college awareness, said Marco J. De La Garza, adviser to the sponsoring group.

Key to the program is putting young Latinas in contact with career-bound women such as Vargas, who can relate to problems they face and provide examples of what they can achieve, De La Garza said.

“We try to boost their pride in what they are,” said Vargas, whose parents, despite their early doubts, now support her career aims. “We tell them, ‘Look, you can go to school, you can go to a university, you don’t have to stay home and take care of babies.’ ”

The forum is for ninth-graders because that is a critical time for young Latinas, Vargas said. Many face decisions about staying in school, or choosing courses that will affect their ability to attend college later, she said.

The forum is supported by $10,000 to $14,000 in donations from individual and corporate sponsors. The six schools scheduled to participate this year are Olive Vista Junior High, Pacoima Junior High, Porter Junior High, San Fernando Junior High, Kennedy High School and Monroe High School.