Stereotypes Successfully Defied Students Who Have Overcome Obstacles Will Be Honored At Hispanic Graduate Awards Banquet

Growing up Hispanic hasn’t been easy for Paolo Chang.

When he was 7, teachers thought he was stupid, unable to pay attention or follow instructions.

Few realized then he could hardly speak English.

Many also assumed he was a lazy immigrant, he said. They didn’t understand his family were refugees fleeing Nicaragua.

Like other Hispanic youth, the Gonzaga University senior has overcome numerous obstacles: language barriers, culture shock, racism.

To celebrate that success, he and about 70 others will be honored tonight at the Hispanic Graduate Awards Banquet.

“We want students to know that we are proud of them,” said Michele Maher, the president of the Hispanic Business and Professional Association. “They have accomplished something that others haven’t.”

Between 1980 and 1994, Hispanics had the highest dropout rates for 16- to 24-year-olds, according to the Census Bureau. While dropout rates fell for most groups, those for Hispanics remained high at 30 percent.

Maher, a Mexican American, attributes this dropout rate to discrimination, as well as other factors including language and cultural differences.

“A lot of people see Hispanics as not being smart,” said Sandra Godinez, a Cheney High School senior. “There are so many stereotypes. But with these banquets, you see the brighter side of things. We’re just like everyone else.”

Although born in the United States, Godinez, 18, understands Chang’s experience.

As a child, kids would tease Godinez and call her “coconut” - brown on the outside, white on the inside.

People sometimes assumed she was a gang member - just for having a Spanish last name.

“I was hurt in a way,” Godinez said. “I didn’t quite fit in with anybody. I couldn’t relate to anyone.

“But I knew who I was so it didn’t matter what people said.”

Students who are graduating this spring from local high schools and colleges not only defied the stereotypes, Maher said. They’ve also made a difference in their communities.

Godinez, who wants to study international business, has raised money for Alzheimer’s patients. She’s been a student government officer and a member of the Future Homemakers of America.

Chang, 21, now speaks five languages fluently. He will graduate from Gonzaga with degrees in French and German literature. He’s also the youngest certified Spanish interpreter in the state of Washington.

“It was really hard for me to adjust because I was different,” said Chang, whose goal is to be a United Nations conference interpreter. “I’m proud of my heritage and where I come from. … I’m a citizen of the world.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Banquet The Hispanic Graduate Awards Banquet will take place today from 6 to 9 p.m. at Spokane Community College’s LAIR Student Auditorium. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Carlos Cortes, a University of California, Riverside, professor who lectures on multiculturalism, Latin America and Chicano History.