Raul Murguia, Guadalupe Center (816) 471-2582 ext. 123
Daniel Silva, NCLR (312) 269-9250
Marie Watteau, NCLR (202) 785-1670

Apr 3, 2008

Kansas City, MO – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today joined with partners – Guadalupe Center, Inc. and PepsiCo Foundation – to announce an initiative to help Latino students in Kansas City graduate from high school, prepare for college, and explore career opportunities. Guadalupe Center, Inc. will be the first Kansas City site for the NCLR Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success, which is modeled after successful NCLR Escalera programs throughout the country.

“Latinos are the least likely of all workers to have a college degree. The NCLR Escalera Program is a proven way of bringing together corporate and community partners to help more Hispanic youth succeed in college and in their careers,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

The Escalera Program in Kansas City has enrolled 20 Latino high school juniors from four local high schools: Bishop Miege High School, St. Mary’s High School, J.C. Harmon High School, and Guadalupe Center, Inc.’s Alta Vista Charter High School, which serves students from across the Kansas City, Missouri School District. The students will have access to mentors, internship opportunities, tutoring, and assistance with exploring colleges and applying for admission and financial aid. The Escalera Program will continue working with these students during their first year of college.

"As the oldest continuous operating organization for Latinos in the U.S., the Guadalupe Center, Inc. is proud to announce being selected as one of six NCLR Escalera Program sites in the country," said Cris Medina Executive Director /CEO of the local NCLR Kansas City Affiliate. “A partnership between the National Council of La Raza, PepsiCo, and the Guadalupe Center, Inc. will enable us to assist 55 adolescent students from the Kansas City metro area to develop into our next generation of community and corporate leaders."

The pilot for the NCLR Escalera Program was launched in 2002 in Los Angeles with support from PepsiCo Foundation and PepsiCo Inc. as a strategy to increase the number of Latino students who graduate from high school and to provide them with resources to pursue higher education and advanced professional careers. Since then, the Escalera Program has been implemented in New York, Chicago, Houston, and Austin.

To date, the NCLR Escalera Program has served 181 Latino youth, with 96% graduating from high school and 94% enrolling in college. This compares to a 58% Latino high school graduation rate in Kansas City.

“One program where PepsiCo has grabbed the lead is Escalera, which addresses the steep dropout rates among Hispanic high school students. The program has earned kudos for its success in encouraging students to stay in school and continue on to college,” said David Gonzales, PepsiCo Vice President of Community Affairs.

For more information about the NCLR Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success or about Latino participation in the workforce, contact Daniel Silva, Escalera Program Coordinator (dsilva@nclr.org), or Marie Watteau, NCLR Director of Media Relations (mwatteau@nclr.org), at (202) 785-1670.