Latinos make up the majority of California's young people. So their future helps shape the future of the state. That’s why we dedicated a special edition of our broadcast last week to exploring challenges Latino youth face when it comes to education, jobs and financial security.
It’s part of a collaboration with NPR called A Nation Engaged, about unlocking economic opportunities for more Americans.
We met UC students mired in debt, a teen who has to take a long bus ride to get on the internet and a young single mom who’s struggling to get her GED.
When a Job’s Not Enough to Get You Off Food Stamps
Guadalupe Beltran is a young mom who's working full time, but who still relies on food stamps. She’s part of a program in Fresno that’s trying to get her into a higher-paying job. But first, she needs to get her GED.
"I need to get this diploma," says Beltran. “I need to get this out of the way, it’s like a big ole’ stone that’s right there. I need to move it."
The Evolution of California’s ‘College Promise,’ as Told Through 4 Students
Guillermo Rogel is a 22-year-old from Riverside who reached his dream of graduating from a UC campus. But now he’s saddled with $45,000 in debt. Experts say if current trends in tuition increases persist, the University of California will become the most expensive public higher education system in the country. We hear from four UC alums and students -- from the 1950s to the present -- about the evolving promise of a free college education.
