Cougars Give Hope to Art Students

His story is their story. Andres Bautista, 2006 teacher of the year at Landrum Middle School, is the son of migrant workers from Mexico. Learning an additional language (English) did not deter him from obtaining an education from Kingsville’s Texas A & I University. Degree in hand, Bautista pursued his two passions, art and teaching. He is always looking for new ways to reach out to his students which is why he is excited that bilingual UH students have volunteered to serve as role models, mentors, and friends for his students.

Luis Pratts, principal of Landrum, concurs, “Many of our students have just recently come to this country. We need young people that they can relate to, to come in and show them how to overcome some of the obstacles they are facing so that they can succeed” in America. UH Cougars fit right in by creating works of art and participating in ballet folklorico alongside Landrum students, According to the UH Office of Institutional research there are 7,176 Hispanic students attending UH so there is no shortage of potential volunteers. Bautista, one of the few Spanish-speaking teachers, seeks role models for his students. “The only college graduates most of these kids know are their teachers. They don’t exactly consider us ‘cool’. To have some UH students come by and spend some time with them has a tremendous impact.” Cougars that volunteer have helped dispel many myths that these kids have about college particularly that an education is only for “nerds” and low-income Latinos can not afford it.

Hispanics account for 50% of the nation’s growth from 2000-2006 reports Luis Salinas, Ph.D a demographer and professor from the University of Houston. Our growing population coupled with the fact that Latinos in general have some of the worst graduation and political participation rates means that the Latino community could use more committed teachers like Bautista and more Cougars that care. Cindy Cedillo a UH Cougar summed up her experience at Landrum, “I see my brothers, sisters, and cousins in all these students.”