Latino students in Illinois and nationwide apply for financial aid at higher rates than some other ethnic groups but receive the lowest average awards. According to the most recent trend data from Excelencia in Education, 85% of Latino students applied, and 71% received college financial aid.

Emily Labandera, research director with Excelencia, said first-generation Latino students prefer to leverage grant money instead of student loans.

"They're not as likely to accept student loans that are offered to them if they are offered as part of their package. Latino students and their families are more averse to taking out loans," she explained. "They don't really see loans as a financial aid award."

According to Excelencia, 25% of Hispanic adults 25 and older in Illinois have earned an associate degree or higher, compared with 50% of white non-Hispanic adults. Labandera added that many Hispanics work at least 30 hours a week, attend part-time, and live off-campus to avoid federal financial aid.

Labandera says 45 higher-ed institutions that have earned her group's "Seal of Excelencia" are working to make college more affordable for Latinos and all students.

"They might be offering paid internships, or they have partnerships with employers in their area that are really connecting their students to those opportunities," she continued. "And so, the students are getting 'real live' skill sets, particularly in their areas of interest or in their field of study."

She added that some colleges recognize that unexpected financial challenges - even a $500 emergency - may push students out of school, so some offer special aid for urgent needs. Many also provide full-tuition scholarships based on family income, helping lower-income students stay enrolled.

Most Gen Z high school students and their parents are unaware of the range of options available to kids after graduation, according to a new survey.

The Gallup Panel findings revealed more than half of families know "a great deal" about working at a paid job or earning a bachelor's degree but feel far less informed about alternatives, such as certification programs or apprenticeships.

Jeff Bulanda, vice president of the American Student Assistance Center for Career Navigation at the nonprofit Jobs for the Future, said too often, family conversations about postgraduation plans occur too late.

"Young people actually really trust and rely on their parents' guidance," Bulanda explained. "Ninety percent of young people said they rely on their parents' guidance when it comes to education and careers."

In the survey, just over half of all parents reported they "frequently" have those conversations with their high-school-age child, raising to 65% among parents with high school seniors. Bulanda pointed out students engaged in the discussions are far more likely to show interest in career and education alternatives.

Experts noted without early and well-informed discussions, students are often forced to make life-shaping decisions on their own. Working parents' schedules and a severe shortage of high school guidance counselors nationwide can add to students feeling unprepared.

Bulanda added Jobs for the Future is working to build an online navigation tool to help students better connect their interests to potential career pathways and inform graduates entering the workforce about the right questions to ask.

"Does this employer offer tuition assistance or some form of education benefit?" Bulanda asked. "Where they may start in a front-line job but have the ability to earn money, as well as have their employer pay for their education."

Bulanda stressed today, fewer than three in 10 high schoolers say they feel "very prepared" to pursue postsecondary options. Uncertainty about federal spending for higher education does not help. He emphasized the key is to take a step back and consider all potential funding sources, including at the state and local level, where grants for short-term training programs often help move students into in-demand careers.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Artificial intelligence is expected to significantly change people's lives and New Mexico State University is meeting the challenge by offering the state's first AI degree.

The higher ed institution located in Las Cruces will introduce the state's first Bachelor of Science degree in AI starting in fall 2026.

Enrico Pontelli, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at New Mexico State University, felt AI should not only be taught at Ivy League schools but made accessible to learners in New Mexico. He said no matter what kind of job you have, learning a bit about AI is essential.

"We see a lot of students who come to college, they understand something about AI but they don't understand how to use it properly," Pontelli explained. "AI can be a great tool to learn, using AI as your companion to help you, not to replace you."

Pontelli noted the university's bachelor of science degree is not only for students just out of high school but for those whose current job may demand new skills. He hopes the university's training will eventually include graduate programs and offer micro-credentials to community members.

AI jobs are those in which a significant portion of the tasks can be performed or aided by artificial intelligence. Pontelli knows a lot of fear has been generated around the emerging technology but said it is nothing to be afraid of and it isn't going away.

"There is a lot of talk about, 'Yeah, I'm losing my job to AI,'" Pontelli observed. "Nobody's going to lose their job to AI. People are going to lose their job to people that know how to use AI."

By offering the degree, Pontelli hopes graduates can contribute to the state's economic development and use AI to work on solutions to address societal and environmental challenges. He added the new program dovetails with the 2024 launch of the statewide New Mexico Artificial Intelligence Consortium.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Journalism and the way people consume news is changing, and Arizona State University will soon launch an initiative it claims will "build a stronger, more trusted and financially stable news ecosystem."

The Knight Center for the Future of News will be housed within the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, set to open July 1. The school's dean, Battinto Batts, said the Knight Center will be made up of three labs - to address declining public trust in news, explore new revenue models for news organizations, and experiment with new forms of storytelling.

Batts said an information hub will gather insights and promote best practices across the industry.

"So, we have all those things going on at the same time," he said, "and so the Knight Center for the Future of News looks to embrace those disruptions and say, 'OK, how do we embrace those disruptions that are going on and then find a path forward?' We're seeking to be engineers."

He said the Knight Center will bring together educators, researchers, students, working journalists and newsrooms.

Polling shows Americans continue to express record low levels of confidence in the media, with only one-third saying they have confidence that news is being reported fairly and accurately.

Batts said journalists who have remained committed to gathering, writing, editing and disseminating news believe in the cause and know how important it is to a healthy democracy.

"The importance of media, and news and journalism to be able to inform people, to give them the information that they need to make healthy, important decisions that impact their daily lives - that's going to exist whether or not the business model changes or not and so, it has evolved," he said.

Batts added the threat posed by information isn't a new concept - but it's been intensified because of new technologies. And he encouraged current and future journalists to focus on the vital mission of keeping audiences informed.


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