Fourteen years after the founding of Oregon MEChA Statewide, the '08 MEChA Leadership Institute gathered student officers from around the state at Mt Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, last Friday, Nov. 7th. We were warmly welcomed to the campus by the chapter advisor, Ms Elizabeth Perry. In a room of 31 officers, board member and Western Oregon University alumn Ms Eloina Franco posed the question, "How many of you have anyone in your family that has graduated college?" Only 1 hand shot up. Exactly, that's why Oregon MEChA Statewide is here. To close this achievement gap. The Institute has been closing the high school achievement gap since it was first launched. Aimed at the high school MEChA student officers, these students learn about good study habits, college entrance exams, life in college, running effective meetings, taking minutes, fundraising, recruiting members, and in general being good citizen role models. Some want to study engineering, others business. Some … [Read more...]

This afternoon I listened intently to Radio Tonalli, a Spanish Radio Talk show program on Portland's KBOO 90.7FM hosted by Edith Molina featuring 18 Latino high school students from 4-H Tech Wizards. Like many of the dozens of Latino callers, I was impressed with the attitude, courage and conviction these young students have in the science fields. Their passion for the sciences was refreshing, empowering and inspirational. After graduation the students want to study: robotics, botany, computer engineering, geography, architecture, pharmacy, new media, internet marketing, and film just to name a few. Did someone say robotics? This group headed by Cecilia and Oktavio, team leaders of this 4-H group was impressive. As Oktavio stated on student success, "Students need to have conviction. Once accepted, we seek active involvementfrom the family. Ultimately, this hinges on support from the community. " Almost all of the students families were either from Michoacan or Oaxaca, Mexico. … [Read more...]

There are several ways to grow your base: whether you're running a campaign for a local political post (a lot of this right now) or expanding your network. Some Food For Thought: Be visible. If possible (sometimes it's physically or financially impossible), be visible in the area where you’re trying to expand. Assistant City Attorney Aaron Felton who's running for Polk County District Attorney, did just that when he traveled from Salem to Independence for the Fiesta Mexicana to increase campaign awareness and meet potential voters. If you’re trying to expand your banks products from behind a desk, there will be challenges. Prior to merging with Point West Credit Union, the Hacienda Community Credit Union, a Portland-OR based credit union prided itself with a fully bilingual/ bicultural staff and understanding the needs of the local Latina/o community. They made inroads with the Latina/o community because they had bilingual talent and provided that face-to-face … [Read more...]

Vote.Last week I voted and mailed my ballot. Over the weekend, I helped family members and friends vote as well. In our democracy voting is our voice. At BilingualHire, we encourage everyone to cast their vote and make their voices heard not just in the U.S. Presidential Elections, but also for important State and Local offices and legislative measures. Less than eight days left, Vote early. Name that OppressionA few weeks ago, I sat down with Dr. Kari Mize, a Professor at Western Oregon University. Below is a summary of her thoughts on Oregon's Measure 58. At BilingualHire we're in the business of connecting employers with bilingual [Spanish+ English] talent. We believe Measure 58 cuts the aspirations of thousands of students who are non-English native speakers and undercuts our small business. We help younger and older bilingual professionals advance their careers. What we want to be certain, and the organizations we help grow is that these professionals are bilingual in Spanish and … [Read more...]

Oregon has a particular challenge that if left unresolved will push Oregon further behind other states.Our most pressing challenge: increasing the high school graduation rate. Why is this important? The more our students graduate, the more they attend a university (and the university supports them), and the more the Oregon community supports them in their path towards success, the more these future leaders will ensure Oregon's prosper. At a briefing yesterday in Salem, Oregon University System Chancellor George P. Pernsteiner reported on the state of higher education in Oregon and the challenges facing the Latino community. The renewed Commission on Hispanic Affairs (disclaimer- I serve as Vice Chairman) will be at the forefront of this equality issue.Problem: Not enough students graduating. With the largest growth population coming from the Latino community its imperative (for Oregon's sake) this group is successful in graduating high school, and attending (and yes graduating) … [Read more...]

This past summer while visiting a friend in D.C. (she's originally from Oregon), her daughter came home to practice her part of a play (a small part). This wasn't an easy playwright either. I was floored to hear her Spanish, so refined, impeccable and every sentence, every word perfectly pronounced. She's 10. It embarrassed me, I'm certain others in the room as well, because of her strong grasp of the Spanish language, but I also swelled with pride. Mind you, her grasp of the language was poor when she was in the Oregon schools. Her mom recently exclaimed, "David, you have no idea how pride I am of her!" Environment, quality of the teachers, the encouraging atmosphere? What I do know is that when your young you can easily pick up, two, three or more languages. I'm certain when she picks up French, and Japanese the doors of opportunity will be opened even wider.Learning Spanish is too easy. Just follow these simple steps:1. Recognize, that being bilingual is valuable. Like most things … [Read more...]

As a 3rd grader at Washington Elementary in Mount Vernon, Washington, an exchange teacher from London once asked, "are you bilingual?" I thought, well I do translate for the family at the hospital, car dealerships, ordering food and the occasional telemarketer phone call. Sound familiar? For anyone calling the house, my family would always say, "diles que no estamos aqui" [tell them we're not here!]. I told the London teacher, "yes, I do know Spanish, but I must confess, I have some difficulty." At home, our Spanish is different than the Spanish usually heard on Univision. Much more broken. The teacher was quick to remark, "that's wonderful, my dearest David, that you're bilingual!" She told me, and the other 30 in the class that in her country the Europeans usually speak more than two languages. Some three, or four. She empowered me, "don't ever forget Spanish, not tomorrow, not ever." From that day on, I was determined to hold onto Spanish despite the opinion of others.The Sad … [Read more...]

How Bilingual Talent [Spanish+ English] will change the way we do businessBilingual [Spanish+ English] talent in today's employment market is today's valuable and strategic asset. Lets look at some of the numbers:Fastest-growing segment in the U.S. [Latinos already are the nation's largest segment] Fastest-growing language in the U.S. [500+ million people worldwide] and the fastest-growing language, after English. Advertising revenues for Spanish-language stations and networks leading the charge. For instance, many of the nation's best-known consumer companies (ex. The Coca Cola Company, The Procter & Gamble Company) have for years started increasing commercials in Spanish "Se habla español" Growing number of organizations are nailing it down to a science . Organizations see the change in demographics and they are being proactive about it. They recruit bilingual talent that can meet the market demands and promote them to higher levels of responsibility. Take for instance, Seaside … [Read more...]

First client since returning from an 18 month deployment is The Linfield College, Portland Campus. Are you interested in recruiting and retaining Hispanic and other students from communities underrepresented in nursing through the development of support services and community partnerships? Enjoy working with students? Then consider the Director of Multicultural Programs opening w/ The Linfield College, Portland Campus. Be sure to review the requirements at: http://www.bilingualhireco.com. … [Read more...]