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AUSTIN, Texas (RNS) — Despite the graduates’ best efforts to remain composed, the tears were flowing freely in the small auditorium at St. Edward’s University, which was hung with the lacy colors of papel picado and the faint scent of carne asada wafting in from outside.
In a graduation ceremony last December for six Latino students, many either undocumented or among the first to attend college in their families, Jackeline Guajardo, one of the graduates, told the group, “Remember that your success is not just yours, but a collective triumph for those who have supported you and those who will follow in your footsteps.”
Days later, they would walk with their classmates at St. Edward’s commencement, but on this day, each graduate crossed the stage arm-in-arm with their parents before having serape-style stoles placed around their shoulders. Guajardo, who grew up with English as her second language, teared up as she said, “I’ve always felt stupid and unprepared every single time I stepped foot into a classroom.”
Family, community and the college, which offered additional support systems, “made us feel smart, confident and capable.”
Only 1 in 5 U.S. Hispanic Catholic adults have a college degree. They are less than half as likely as white Catholics to have a bachelor’s degree. Even as …