The Next Generation of ECET2

Here at the Gates Foundation, we’re committed to partnering with organizations that create opportunities for Latinos to pursue and complete degrees, enter the workforce, build healthy families and communities, engage in policy and advocacy to advance equity, become leaders in their own locales, and more. For this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight the phenomenal work led by local and state-based organizations serving Latinos year-round.

Valerie Gonzales is an inspiration. A recent college graduate in Fort Worth, she navigated challenging circumstances as a college adviser during the pandemic to support and guide high school students as they strived to make their own transition to college. To her students, Valerie is a hero. Sadly, the kind of help she provides through the College Advising Corps is not universal in high schools across the country.

The leaves have barely started to turn (at least in Seattle), but a busy fall is already underway, especially in the policy world. Congress has returned to work on a host of major issues affecting students and the institutions that serve them, and state legislatures are already gearing up for their next sessions.