Mentoring takes many forms -- showing an example of success that inspires others, helping the newly arrived understand the new "rules of the road," or simply providing emotional support and encouragement. Is mentoring an important ingredient for success, as well?

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Liliam Lujan-Hickey
Regional chair of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas; President of the USHCC Foundation

• I want to teach all the Hispanics that if they learn the system of the United States, they can become successful entrepreneurs and I am teaching that to the youths too—no more drop-outs.
       

Judge Sergio Gutierrez
Judge on the Idaho Court of Appeals

• As you seek to develop personally, as you become aware that what you do also has impact on others, that you are able to break barriers by achieving, by your accomplishments.
       
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• ...when you look at the accomplishment of someone like myself or others, it’s not just your background and your culture but it’s the acceptance of the dominant community...
       

Peter Padilla
Vice President/General Manager, Azteca America Television and KREN-TV, Reno

• I think it is important for Hispanic youth and we as Hispanic adults to set good examples not only for our own culture but for all of the Americans that are not Hispanic so that we can talk about the positive contributions that we make to society. Many people do make positive contributions and we need to focus on those things.
       

Julio Elizondo
Boise State University student and Manager with Sears Credit

• ...it just empowered me to be a mentor for them and not to ignore my culture and where I come from and to value it because opportunistically, if I don’t value who I am; who is going to value me?
       

Julio Elizondo & Leobarda Elizondo Exchange
Julio: Student; Leobarda: Agricultural worker and Julio's mother

• God does not discriminate, who are we to?
       

Arnoldo Hernandez
Diversity Director, Albertson College of Idaho

• We must seek and continue to put together some of these mentor programs not only for students but for parents as well.
       
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• I can proudly say that I have got a teaching degree now and I'm coming back to help as many as I can.
       

Mary Gutierrez
2nd grade teacher/Bilingual teacher

• I feel that parental involvement is a very strong factor in that and right now we are working on a program to try and increase parental involvement of those children. Mentors ... [are] another key factor in the success of those children and of course language.
       

Carmina Oaks
Executive Director, Latino Resource Center, Jackson, WY

• It is very satisfying to see that this community is very educated, so they jump on the wagon right away and they start getting programs. Most of the non-profit agencies are starting to get together, they have an umbrella program to more or less bring over all the problems of the Mexicans.
       

Mito Alonzo
Probation/Parole Officer for the Idaho Department of Correction

• ...we work with those people to try and educate them to learn the system and be part of the community.
       

Alan Creech
Police Chief, Nampa, Idaho

• In our department, we are heavily involved in programs at school districts, things that I could never dream police would be involved in, because we believe firmly that that will determine crimes, and we won't have to deal with them in a negative basis in the first place.
       

Angeles Jacobo
Student

• I kept going to school and finally I learned English and since I know English I have been involved in many clubs such as FHLA, Future Hispanics Leaders of America, and I have attended state meetings all over Idaho. I encourage others to go to school and study really hard and to be professional, because I know that education is the key to success and I want to be educated.