La Voz

Several Latina students found assistance facing barriers like financial limitations and family educational backgrounds thanks to a scholarship workshop at De Anza College last Thursday.

The guest speaker, Claudia Leon, encouraged all Latina students to continue with their education so the next generation may follow in their footsteps. "You can come back and tell your cousins, sisters, and friends," she said. "And by seeing what you've done in college, they can see a higher education as an option for them."

The audience listed obstacles like their jobs, paying bills, being the first in the family to attend college and a lack of motivation and funds. "It feels good and kind of sad at the same time because I'm the first to graduate high school and go to college," said Rocio Naverrete, a firstyear De Anza student. "By getting help to write my scholarship essay, it refreshes my memory of who I am and what I've accomplished."

In 1977, a group of Latinas developed the Chicana and Latina Foundation to support and assist Latinas with their personal and professional abilities by providing scholarships to Latina college students and encouraging participation in professional and educational areas.

The CLF plans to expand their onetime scholarship workshop to 14 other colleges and universities around Northern California. The workshop is designed to help applicants prepare for interviews, write essays and understand Latina leadership principles.

Applications are available online at www.chicanalatina.org.

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