MULBERRY, Fla. — The number of Hispanics living in the United States has more than quadrupled from 1980 to 2021, but the graduation rate for Hispanic high school students has also increased, rising by more than 50%, according to a U.S. Census report. It has become even more than that. 80 and more.
As more Hispanics nationwide receive these diplomas, Florida's graduation rates are also increasing.
Among the most recent graduates are Freddy Bautista Molina and Cristian Cortes-Daza, who spend most of their days enjoying soccer, a sport they have been familiar with since childhood.
They teach and volunteer at the RCMA Mulberry Community Academy, which they do every day after school.
They say this is a way to give back to the community and inspire young kids.
For Freddie, these moments are times when he can connect with kids from the same background.
“One of the most striking things I remember about the fields is definitely the scorching sun,” he said, recounting how he and his family moved from state to state in search of work.
For him, photography represents where he comes from. They also served as motivation for his past four years in high school, where he earned a 4.0 grade point grade each year.
“I'm definitely proud and I'm proud of my parents who did their best to give me an education. And I owe it to them to win all these awards. is completed.”
After graduation, I plan to attend Cornell University and study finance.
Freddie is the first in his family to graduate from high school, which he believes is important to him because “our parents come from backgrounds where they had to immigrate here, and they've done the hard part of being immigrants.” He said it was a great moment.
“And now we have to do our part,” he said.
His friend Christian said it wasn't easy getting this far.
“Especially in our community, we have poverty. We have these other misfortunes, so it's really special to have something like this,” he said.
Over the past four years, Christian has won countless academic awards and this year is Mulberry High School's valedictorian.
“I've seen what life is like without formal education. I've lived it. I've had several jobs under the sun,” he says. Told.
This fall, he will study at Stanford University. He plans to study to become an aerospace engineer there, and someday he could work for NASA.
“I'm very proud of this moment because I know I had to work hard for this and now I see that it's really paying off,” he said.
In the classroom and on the field, Christian and Freddie say they are chasing their dreams to inspire the next generation of Hispanic graduates.
Earlier this year, the Florida Department of Education released 2023 numbers showing that the Hispanic graduation rate has increased significantly over the past 19 years, from 59% to 88%.