Republican
National Hispanic Assembly
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Published on Thursday, October 31, 2002 U.S. Treasurer is a Real Inspiration YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC http://www.yakima-herald.com/276245035133386.news
As a sophomore in a California high school, U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin tested into school with a 27 IQ. That's 73 points below average, 43 points below mentally retarded. Now her name is on every piece of new paper money in the country. Her first year in an English-speaking school, Marin knew she was smarter than the scale indicated. She just couldn't speak English. The poor IQ test score did nothing but encourage her to learn a new language, Marin told a group of about 100 Sunnyside High School students Wednesday. Marin and a contingent of White House officials were in Sunnyside and Toppenish for a cursory look at Lower Yakima Valley educational programs for Hispanic students. Marin told Sunnyside students her parents moved her to the United States from Mexico just months before her quinciñera, a coming of age party for 15-year-old girls, an event she had dreamed of for years. Her parents wanted better educational opportunities for their children, and without her parent's bold move, she may never have finished high school, never have gone to college, never have run for elected office. Her hard work in high school landed her among the top 20 students in her class. But no one ever spoke to her of college scholarships she should have applied for. She worked full-time at a bank and put herself through school at night. Eventually, she earned a degree from California State University. Just as she worked her way into a vice-president position at the bank and started work on a master's degree, the birth of her first child altered her life. Eric was born with Down syndrome, and his disability sent Marin on the course that eventually brought her to the White House. Lobbying for disabled rights in California led her to run for the city council of Huntington Park, Calif., in 1994. She was elected then and again in 1999. She was serving as the community's mayor when she met George W. Bush while he was stumping for election in 2000. The two hit it off, and she became treasurer after his election. Marin told Sunnyside students she never in her "wildest dreams thought I would become treasurer." The treasurer is responsible for oversight of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the U.S. Mint and the U.S. Savings Bonds Division. Sunnyside students pulled from their pockets bills looking for Marin's signature, which appears on newer paper bills. "If I, an immigrant who didn't speak English, rose to become treasurer of the greatest country in the world, imagine what you can do," Marin said. Marin encouraged students to gain as much education as they can. "Without my education, I couldn't be here," she said. To Sunnyside students at the assembly, Marin's words were "motivating and encouraging," said Gerardo Ruelas, 17. "It makes me think of all the times I think I'm not going to make it," Ruelas said. "We can do it if we insist enough not give up ever." Alma Rodriguez, 14, liked Marin's idea that there is nothing blocking students from achieving their goals. "If you have a goal, it doesn't matter," Rodriguez said. "Even if you're an immigrant, you can be someone famous." Laura Ortiz, 14, said she had a friend who was so frustrated in her attempts to learn English, she decided she wanted to be married by 15. Marin's encouraging words were a lesson in perseverance for Hispanic students. "It was a good lesson to keep on trying, keep on going so we can be someone we're proud of," Ortiz said. Leslie Sanchez, executive director for the president's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, joined Marin on the trip to the Lower Yakima Valley. As part of the initiative, Sanchez said she and others are touring areas of the United States with burgeoning Hispanic populations looking at educational programs on which to model a national program. Marin and Sanchez started their morning with a 15-minute introduction to the Washington State Migrant Student Record System housed in Sunnyside. The system is designed to allow migrant students in Washington to make seamless transfers from school to school. Sanchez said she was impressed with how the system addressed student dropout rates. The entourage later spoke to students at Toppenish High School as well as to students at Heritage College before returning to Sunnyside for a dinner with parents at the high school. As part of the of the 2001 federal No Child Left Behind Act, the Hispanic initiative aims to bridge the learning gap between Hispanic students and their peers. The advisory commission is working on a report to present to Bush in March.
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