Women seem to be finding their voices in ways that seemed impossible a few short years ago. One could say it began with the pink hat marches one year ago the day after inauguration day. Or one could point to the #MeToo or #TimesUp social media campaigns that asserted women would exert their long-ignored social and political power to fight for equal rights, equal pay and an end to all forms of gender discrimination and abuse. However, the most unreported Hispanic women’s rights progress is being made on college and university campuses across America. The fact is that Latinas are continuing to outpace their Latino counterparts in higher education. This is a trend that began to pick up steam more than a decade ago and like a snowball traveling down the side of a mountain has turned into an avalanche of academic achievement.
In this issue we present the top 25 community colleges granting the most degrees to Hispanic students and enroll the largest number of Hispanic students. This year, for the first time, we can report that Latina degree earners outnumber Latinos in every school listed. In enrollment numbers, Latina enrollees outnumber Latinos in 24 of the 25 schools listed. Only Palomar College in California enroll more Latinos than Latinas by a little more than 400 students. 
The top 25 schools for enrollment represent six different states with California schools dominating the group with 13 Golden State schools among the top two-year colleges listed. The Lone Star College System tops the group with more than 27,000 Hispanics enrolled. And while California has more schools in the top 25, Texas grabbed the top spot and has three Lone Star schools in the top five schools listed and six in the top 10. 
Another Texas school, El Paso Community College, was number one in degrees granted to Hispanics, and Texas schools took four out of the top five schools on the list. Thirteen California schools made the list, and there are six states represented in that group. El Paso Community College granted more than 3,000 degrees to Hispanics in 2016. 
Community college enrollment and degree numbers are expected to grow thanks in part to campaigns such as College Promise, a national nonpartisan, local and state-led higher education, beginning in America’s community colleges. Chaired by Dr. Jill Biden and former Governor Jim Geringer (R-WY), the College Promise Campaign seeks to build broad public support for states and localities to provide responsible students with access to a free community college education. 
The College Promise was launched on September 9, 2015 at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan. It was heralded by President Barack Obama who announced the initiative by saying, “For every young person willing to work hard, I want two years of college to be as free and universal as high school.”
One example of College Promise’s success in this effort can be found in Seattle, Washington. On her first full day in office, Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan (D) fulfilled a campaign pledge by signing an executive order to make a community and technical college education free for the city’s recent high school graduates. City officials are set to draft a framework for the Seattle Promise Tuition Program, which will provide up to two years of tuition for students to attend any of the city’s technical or community colleges.
“The City of Seattle must play an active role in reducing and removing financial barriers that keep our high school graduates from going to college or getting the technical training,” said Mayor Durkan after signing the order. “They need this education to have a shot at good, family-wage jobs. This will not just be good for our students; it will be great for Seattle. It will help channel the prosperity of our thriving economy back into our community and let us start filling thousands of job openings with our home-grown talent. Creating the Seattle Promise will build economic opportunity through education and help to make progress to reduce the opportunity gap for students of color.”
More than 200 programs in 42 states are now underway in major cities such as Boston, Detroit, Oakland and Providence. Sixteen states have enacted College Promise legislation or executive actions for their residents, recognizing further education beyond high school as a return on investment for their communities. In the 21st century, a high school diploma is no longer enough to lead Americans to a good job and decent quality of life. CPC is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. Learn more about the College Promise and the Campaign at CollegePromise.org. •