Fall 2007 Access Report
Arnold Hernandez, New Spokesperson for the Paying for College Bus Tour
Arnold Hernandez, the new spokesperson for the Paying for College Bus Tour
Born in 1981 in South Texas to a migrant farm family, Arnold Hernandez’s introduction to hard work was swift. As with many migrant families, Arnold worked alongside his parents as a young child, learning firsthand the harsh reality of society's invisible population.
The challenges that migrant farm workers face on a daily basis can be devastating: from harsh working conditions, to inadequate housing, to lack of health care and health insurance, to language and cultural barriers, to poverty-level wages. Farm work is the second-lowest paid job in the nation (after domestic labor). The average income for a farm worker is $11,000; for a family, it is approximately $16,000.
Oftentimes, farm workers are paid by the amount they pick. In some states, that translates into 40 cents for a bucket of tomatoes or sweet potatoes, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's 2002 Prevailing Wage Survey. At that rate, to earn $50, a farm worker would need to pick approximately two tons of produce.
Children who work in the fields are particularly vulnerable, their inexperience making them more susceptible to exploitation, illness, injury, and even death. The transitory nature of farm working families also is challenging, as they travel state to state to follow crops for harvesting. In terms of education, the median highest grade of school completed by farm workers is sixth grade. Thirteen percent of farm workers have completed less than three years of schooling, and 13% have completed high school, according to findings from the 2005 National Agricultural Workers Survey, U.S. Department of Labor.
Despite these issues, farm workers are excluded from the majority of the federal labor laws that were first passed in the 1930s.
Against these odds, or maybe because of them, Arnold Hernandez says he realized early on that education would play a central role in his life. He recalls having a “personal drive to better himself” as a young child, a sentiment that was created in part by those who unknowingly tried to deter his dreams, he says.
“When my parents immigrated to this country in the 1950s, their ‘American Dream’ was about working hard and breaking a sweat. That is what they believed brought success. I knew I wanted more than harvesting cabbage, onions, or sugar beets and working in the sun every day. Education was my American Dream,” Arnold says.
Securing his dream would not be easy. More than hard work, it required convincing his parents, as well as teachers and other adults in his life, that he was not only a committed, but also a talented, scholar. One incident in particular stands out in his memory.
“There was a high school teacher who told me that I was not college material,” he says, “that I did not have what it takes to go to college. Instead of discouraging me, I think those words made me try all that much harder.”
Arnold’s commitment paid off. Upon graduating from high school, he applied for college, doing so in secret out of fear that his parents would dismiss his plans. Eventually, Arnold’s years of hard work and determination were rewarded as he received a scholarship through the College Assistant Migrant Program to St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Four years later, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication.
"The day I walked across the stage to accept my diploma remains the proudest moment of my parents' lives," Arnold says.
As part of a college assignment, Arnold wrote, directed, and produced a documentary titled "Harvesting a Dream," which details his personal struggles to attend school. The documentary later won the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Reel Life Video Contest and was screened at the CineSol Film Festival in South Padre Island, Texas.
Today, Arnold serves as The Sallie Mae Fund's national spokesperson for the Paying for College Bus Tour. The Tour, now in its fourth year, delivers information, workshops, and other resources on planning and paying for college to communities throughout the country. Arnold’s message for students and families — particularly those who are underserved, minority, or considered at risk — is that higher education is indeed the pathway to success.
“In high school, I was told college was not for me. No one should be allowed to stop your dreams. To students, and particularly to parents, I want to tell them that college can make things happen — that is no longer an option but rather an expectation, a prerequisite to reach your own American Dream.”
