Despite childhood hardships, Latina women can rise above their misfortune, according to one of Palo Alto’s counselors.

Dr. Rose Zambrano, an associate professor in the Counseling Department, researched what traits drive Latina women to success in her recent doctoral dissertation, “Mexican-American Women Achieving Academic Success Despite Adversity.”

Zambrano feels obligated to share her research findings, which document the lives of nine successful Latina women who all shared similar struggles in their childhoods.

These women were able to succeed when all odds were against them. In 1998, only 5 percent of Mexican-Americans completed an undergraduate or college education. The reason for such a low completion rate cannot be specified, but it can be studied. The high dropout rates before high school graduation, inadequate preparation for continued study and lack of Hispanics entering 4-year colleges are all contributing factors to the Latinos’ low socio-economic status in society.

Nearly 12.5 percent of the United States population is Latino, according to the Hispanic Population Census Brief of 2000.

UTSA professor and Texas’ state demographer Dr. Steve Murdock said, “Hispanics are one third of the Texas population as of now, but we project in the years 2025-2035, Hispanics will take up more than 50 percent of the total Texas population. They are the fastest growing non-Anglo group in Texas.”

The purpose of Zambrano’s study was not to demean Hispanics. She wants to educate and enlighten them. Zambrano believes you are in charge of your own fate, and despite everything that tries to bring you down, there are ways to make it in this world.

Zambrano examined the lives of Mexican-American women who all shared common struggles at a young age, including abuse, poverty and a number of factors that would have contributed to their academic failure. Despite the obstacles that were thrown in their path, they all made it and achieved their goals. Three of the women became physicians, three of them earned Doctor of Philosophy degrees, and three earned law degrees. All of these women had one major similarity: resilience.

Resilience is the way people cope with unexpected or challenging life events. Even though these women were at risk for failure, they succeeded.

“I like the message Dr. Zambrano is sending. She lets you know that even if you don’t have resiliency, you can be taught to be resilient,” said Lydia Ortega, Senior Job Placement Specialist at Palo Alto.

Having a sense of control allowed these women to believe that their own abilities and actions would determine if they could overcome the challenges they faced. These women believed in themselves and knew they had control over the course of their lives. They also all shared a strong belief in the Christian religion,” said Zambrano.

In Zambrano’s model titled “Developing Resilience,” she sets five themes in a circular flow that each relate to the other.

First, she asked herself, “What motivated these women? What did all these women have in common?” They all shared the same socio-economic status: low-income families who were all from the working class.

Second, they all experienced a turning point where someone impressed them or encouraged them to be better.

Third, they all shared an interest in an independent, stimulating activity, such as reading, drawing or exploring.

Fourth, they all had strong personality traits: persistence, y mas ganas (lots of desire).

Fifth was their spirituality or their belief in a higher power. All of these women believe in God.

Families and parents also play an important role. They are highly instrumental motivators. Basic encouragement creates a positive, long-lasting effect on a child. Believing that education is a way to a better life is the key to overall success. Researchers stress the importance of supportive role models who can convince an individual that they can overcome disadvantages.

These five themes are all interrelated to the success of these women. Zambrano’s study highlighted that the dismal status of Mexican-American women’s success in education can be reversed.

Zambrano’s objective is to open more women’s eyes on how to be resilient, overcome obstacles and achieve academic success. For more information, Zambrano’s dissertation on “Mexican-American Women Achieving Academic Success Despite Adversity” will soon be on the Internet.

Contact Zambrano through e-mail at rolozano@accd.edu or (210)921-5248.