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The article presents an in-depth discussion of the role of family in the experiences of Latino college students in the United States. The author begins by describing his own experience going through college as a Hispanic American, citing the challenges he faced and the amount of sacrifice given to his endeavor by his family. Commentary is then given describing how colleges need to recognize and support Latino families in general if they wish to improve their enrollment statistics. Profiles are then offered for several colleges which have exemplary programs, including the University of Texas at El Paso and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

The article reports results of a survey conducted by Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. about the attitudes of parents of pre-college-age students on the value of a college education. Despite a tough economic climate, 90 percent of parents said they view sending their children to college as essential. Hispanic-American parents, whose children will be the majority of the school-age population by mid-century, were 95 percent of the belief that sending their children to college is essential, and almost 75 percent believed college is accessible to anyone who wants to go. Of these, the majority had saved less than $10,000 towards college. The author, as president of a financial company, sees an obligation of the industry to do more to educate parents about the challenge.