A look at four teenagers

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of stories following four Hispanic students through their senior year of high school. They are among a growing diversity of students in the Nashua school district. The stories will focus on the students, the schools and the larger community.

NASHUA – One of the first things Jaime Cabrera noticed when his family moved from South Central Los Angeles to Nashua 10 years ago was the lack of any metal detectors in the schools.

Unlike his older brother and sister, Cabrera was born in the United States. His family moved from Mexico to California before he was born, and he was 7 when his family moved to Nashua. He’s grateful his parents gave him the opportunity to grow up in a community where violence wasn’t very prevalent.

Now 17, Cabrera is hoping to do something his two older siblings were not able to do: graduate high school. His older brother and sister both dropped out. He wants to finish high school, not just for himself, but for his family.

“It’s gonna set a good example for my little brother, but also set an example for my older brother and sister,” he said. “To show them that I made it through, that I did everything I could to pass.”

After graduating, Cabrera wants to go to college to study to become an automotive technician.

Cabrera works a lot to help bring income to his family. He is also active in the Police Athletic League’s boxing program. He said boxing helps get rid a lot of stress.

“I feel relief after,” Cabrera said. “I feel like I can breathe again.”

Cabrera is part of the ever-increasing Hispanic student population in the city.

At nearly 15 percent, Nashua has the highest percentage of Hispanic students of any other district in the state. And that population has been steadily increasing over the past decade with no signs of slowing down.

In 2000, Hispanic students made up 10 percent of the student population. Last year, the figure had grown to 14.7 percent. In Manchester, the largest and most diverse school district in the state, Hispanic students made up 13 percent of the student population last year.

The change is reflected in many city schools, not just in the student population, but in the way schools are adjusting to the changing demographics. Pamphlets and letters are almost always now provided in both English and Spanish.

Cabrera is one of the Hispanic students at Nashua High School South that The Telegraph will follow through his senior year as he looks to achieve his goals of graduating from high school and moving onto higher education. The series, “Diverse Lessons,” will follow four students as they make their way through their final year of high school and examine issues facing the school district as it adjusts to the changing demographics.

Staying focused

Hector Cora was up to about 310 words. He needed 500.

Sitting in the career center at Nashua South, Cora, 18, was trying to finish his essay for the Common Application, an admissions application that is shared among colleges. He was focusing his essay on why he wants to be a sports massage therapist.

“I love sports, and I still want to be involved with sports,” said Cora, a senior at the high school.

Cora is looking to enroll in the fall at the Bancroft School of Massage Therapy in Worcester, Mass., or possibly stay local, attending classes at Nashua Community College.

“I might get started at Nashua Community College, and then transfer to a four-year school, maybe in New York City,” he said.

Cora was writing his essay at the school Tuesday in a program run by Dartmouth College. The program brings Dartmouth undergrads to high schools across the state to help students with the college application process. The program also provides money for the application fee.

National statistics indicate that Hispanic students are more likely to drop out of high school. As of 2007, 21.4 percent of Hispanics ages 16-24 were not enrolled in school and had not earned a high school diploma or a GED, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That is compared with 5.3 percent among the similarly aged white population and 8.4 percent among the black population.

The national dropout rate has been steadily improving over the past decade among all ethnic backgrounds, but Hispanics are still dropping out at a much higher rate.

Cora was born in New York City and moved to Nashua when he was in second grade. Both his parents are from Puerto Rico, but he doesn’t see them anymore. Two years ago, his mother kicked him out of the house and he has been living with friends ever since, a challenge that most other students would never have to deal with. Cora said the last he had heard, his father was still in jail.

But Cora doesn’t dwell on the issues he has faced in his personal life.

“I try to stay positive and look on the bright side,” Cora said. “I try to keep a smile on my face.”

Cora was an athlete for the school last year, playing football and track. But his grades slipped and he had to take this semester off. Cora said one of the factors that led to his academic problems was his dealing with depression.

This year, Cora has started a weekend football league with one of his friends. They started out as a small group of 10 teenagers, but have grown since to as many as 90 participants.

“It helps to keep people out of trouble,” Cora said.

It was a month ago, when Cora was playing with his friends in the weekend league, when he broke the fibula and tibia in one of his legs. He will still have to use crutches for several weeks. Once off the crutches, he still has to strengthen his injured leg before he is back to normal. He’s hoping to play baseball or take part in track in the spring.

Cora has been approved for the school district’s core diploma, a program started last year that allows some students to graduate even if they don’t reach the minimum 27-credit requirement. The state’s minimum requirement for graduating is 20 credits and students in the core diploma program need to reach at least that level.

Working hard

Like many Hispanic students, Ana Maria and Mariana Espinal – twin sisters – speak Spanish at home, but are fluent in English. Both 17, they moved to Nashua from Colombia when they were in second grade. They moved up through the English as a Second Language program. They both have an interest in cosmetology and business. They want to go to college together and hope to one day open their own hair salon.

“We want to go to college,” Ana Maria said. “The money is the problem.”

The sisters feel there are certain stereotypes of Hispanics not just in the school, but in society. One of those stereotypes is that Hispanics are lazy.

“They don’t understand,” Mariana said. “I do all the chores in my house. I cook. I clean. I work. I do school work.”

Ana Maria and Mariana both work at McDonald’s. As they work their way through the college application process, one of the obstacles is having parents who don’t speak English, the sisters said. Oftentimes, prospective colleges will want to set up a meeting with them and their parents, but the language barrier becomes an issue.

The sisters said they feel there is a perception in school that Hispanic students don’t care about education. That is why they are making an effort this year to take higher-level courses.

“We wanted to prove them wrong,” Ana Maria said.

Michael Brindley can be reached at 594-6426 or mbrindley@nashuatelegraph.com.