Writing in the Imperial Valley Press, CHLI President and CEO Mary Ann Gomez Orta offers graduation-season advice to a class entering a tighter job market, where employers projected hiring growth of just 0.6 percent — down sharply from the 7.3 percent forecast the previous fall. Her counsel is direct: enjoy the accomplishment, find a mentor, and plug into a professional community right away, because the syllabi, professors, and campus career centers are gone. The challenge is sharper for Latino graduates, she notes, only about 20 percent of whom hold a college degree compared with a national average of 36 percent, leaving fewer accessible role models and less generational wealth to fall back on in high-cost cities like Washington, D.C. She points to CHLI alumni including Lucinda Borque, Eduardo Arabu, Olivia Padillo, and Washington State Rep. Sharlett Mena as evidence of what mentorship and fellowships make possible. Gomez Orta urges colleagues in the public and private sectors to keep investing in today’s young professionals, who represent both tomorrow’s top employees and its future leaders.
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