PSU Magazine Fall 2005

Helping first-~ Van le and her family came to the United States from Vietnam 13 years ago. The school-age le overcame lan– guage and cultural barriers as she watched her parents and older sib– lings struggle with low wages and work long hours. Ethan Webb is the first of his five siblings to complete high school. Their family is without a father and making ends meet each month is dif– ficult. For Le and Webb, going to college could have been a distant dream. Americans believe in educational opportunity and its pivotal role in the American Dream. ln a 2003 survey, 86 percent of those po lled agree that every capable person has a right to receive a college education, even if he or she can't afford iL, according to the Public Agenda and National Center for Public Policy and Higher Educa– tion. Yet nearly 48 percent of qua li– fied low-income high schoo l graduates in the United States forgo higher education because iL costs Loo much. "When talented students have nei– ther means nor family support for a college education, they face a bleak future, " says Agnes Hoffman, PSU associate vice provost for EnrollmenL Management and Student Affairs. "l n these instances our entire community is diminished . Over a lifetime, the earnings gap between those with a high school diploma and those with a B.A. or higher exceeds $1 million. BuL beyond this economic disparity, Lhe co ll ege degree is a great leve ler, help– ing Lo bridge social, cultural, and ideological differences that divide society." Freshman Van Le is the first in her family to pursue a university degree, thanks to a new PSU s cholarship . Photo by Steve Dipaola