Baltimore program equips Latina high school students with preparation for college

BALTIMORE -- A Baltimore afterschool program is preparing Latina high schoolers for college.

¡Adelante Latina! provides academic support, college counseling and mentorship to girls in Baltimore City who may not have otherwise had the chance to go to college.

Opening the door

¡Adelante Latina! is held on the Notre Dame of Maryland University's campus and is run by Leonor Blum, a former college professor who specialized in Latin American studies. 

Originally from Argentina, Blum moved to the United States for college and was one of a few international students at the time. As a professor, she realized many of her Latina students would drop out, so after she retired, she wanted to create this program to open doors that weren't open to her.

"I met a lot of Latin American girls who lived in the United States and realized that they needed some help, because family was a lot more important to them than education," said Blum, who founded¡Adelante Latina! in 2013.

Growth of the program

Blum had 12 girls participate in the program in 2013. Now with 43 students, Blum says they recruit students from five Baltimore City high schools. Students can apply, be accepted and enroll in their sophomore year.

Each student is paired with a tutor that follows them through the program. In the first two years, the main focus is on academic support, teaching English language skills, as well as providing classes in other useful subjects. 

As seniors, the students focus closely on the college application process, which also includes navigating the FAFSA for financial assistance and scholarship applications.

The support

Brenda Rapp, who was born in South America before growing up in Spain and currently works as a professor at Johns Hopkins University, is a tutor in the program.

"These are students who are really motivated and dedicated to be successful, get into college, provide their families with the things that their families came to this country for," Rapp said.

The support is helpful for the students, who, in some cases, do not receive that support at home. Most of the program participants are first-generation college students and their families have never navigated the American education system.

"Feel like I belong"

Brissia Lopez-Castro, a senior at Baltimore City College, plans to study psychology and Latin American studies and eventually become a therapist for people of color and Hispanic communities. 

"Before ¡ Adelante Latina!, I didn't know what my GPA was, didn't have a clue what a transcript was," Lopez-Castro said. "I just felt really lost in high school."

She says ¡Adelante Latina! helped her be a part of the Bezos Scholars Program in high school, and part of this includes creating a community change project. She plans to host a similar college prep seminar for other Latino students in Highlandtown in the spring.

"I really just found my people," Lopez-Castro said.

Ashley Romero Ochoa, a senior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, hopes to study aerospace engineering in college. She says this program brought her a community of girls that she doesn't always see in her high school classroom.

"I feel like there's always those classes where I'm the only Latina in the class," Ochoa said. "When I'm here, I feel so comfortable with everyone. I feel like I belong here and fit in."

Breaking stereotypes

According to Excelencia in Education, 29% of Latinos, aged 25 and older, in Maryland have an associate's degree or higher compared to 56% of their white counterparts. This data is from 2021.

Ochoa explained the program breaks stereotypes by encouraging students like her to pursue their passions. She says she always felt like she could do something more, even from a young age.

"Just family in general, most Latinas usually don't go to school. They usually stay at home or after high school, they don't really have the dream of going to college," Ochoa said.

The program also teaches about Latin American culture, heritage and history, or the student's Latinidad. It also takes students on college tours, other field trips, and has an overnight, week-long summer camp, which is sometimes the students first experience sleeping away from home. Blum says these additional opportunities are meant to help the students learn what college will be like.

"It really warms my heart. All of them get accepted to college. 90 percent attend college," Blum said. "Then, once they're in college, we follow up with them."

Blum added that 75 % finish college and the organization stays connected to participants as they enter the workforce.

Cesia Calero, an alumna of the program, graduated from high school in 2017 and attended University of Baltimore. She now works for the Deutsch Foundation in Baltimore. 

Calero says she would not be where she is now without the program because of its continued support through college to the present day.

"I was being pushed by my mentors, or being pushed by my peers, so having this was essential for me," Calero said.

"You're allowed to dream"

The tutors serve as mentors, too, watching and guiding the students' growth through the program. Faye Rivkin is a freelance writer who says when she joined as a tutor, she felt as if this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

"It's interesting to watch them come in as sophomores when it can be so hard, and they're kind of quiet and a little introverted," Rivkin said. "And then watch that change to when they're seniors."

Most importantly, the program empowers the students and develops their self-confidence, while leveling the playing field as they pursue their career goals.

"The most important message I've gotten from it is like, you're allowed to dream," Lopez-Castro said.