Congratulations, Simone

Today was the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber's annual scholarship banquet, held in a ballroom at the Oregon Convention Center. We were among the proud parents in attendance, seated on either side of Simone, as mariachis performed and an assortment of state and local politicians took turns making speeches in praise of the winners.

Simone won a $2,000 scholarship -- her third from this networking organization if my memory is accurate. (I'm pretty sure she won twice while an undergraduate at Vassar.)

It's always a time to feel proud and inspired -- not just of our daughter but of all the accomplishments and promise of fellow Latinos and Latinas, who in so many cases are the first in their family to attend college and often come from low-income households. This year, 49 students shared a total of $109,000 in scholarship money. All told, the chamber has given away just over $1 million in scholarships since 1996.

While the preponderance of scholarship winners will use the money to attend in-state colleges, I'm heartened by the number who are able to pursue their education and their dreams out of state at such schools as Stanford, Tufts, Bowdoin and, in Simone's case, Carnegie Mellon. It's a subtle sign of stepping out on your own, far from the safety and comfort of family.

While there's no denying that scholarship money definitely helps, I know from experience that the greater impact is psychological. It sends an important message to the recipient that someone else -- a panel of professionals -- believes you are worth the investment, and that your dreams do have a chance of coming true.

"As the Latino population increases in Oregon, education remains a key issue." the chamber notes. "Nationally and locally, Latinos have the highest dropout rate. In Oregon, 13% of Latino students leave high school compared to 6.3% for all Oregonians.

"Despite the high dropout rate, the number of Latinos attending college has shown increases, but the percentage of Latino students attending college is still less than the general population (20% for Hispanics vs. 37% for the general population). "

As I looked around the ballroom today -- at all those bright eyes and smiling faces -- I felt encouraged. If 75 percent of these students are able to complete their degree in their chosen field, what a boost it would mean for Oregon Latinos. We are so terribly underrepresented in law and engineering, nursing and medicine, academia and journalism. The chamber deserves a lot of praise for providing such a helping hand.