Helping Hispanic Students Prepare to Lead in Business

The Importance of Community

Community members help the schools in various ways. At Brentwood, for example, the local faith community helped repaint the school recently. Various community groups also help with Valentine’s parties and put together supply kits before school starts. “There are lots of ways for people outside of the school community to be involved in schools and support our students,” Espinosa explains. Some retirees and other community members also read with children in Brentwood’s after-school program.

The local business community also plays a major role in helping students achieve. Because of its Silicon Valley location, the school benefits from technology companies’ proximity.

Smart businesses realize that they can do well while going good, according to Espinosa’s brother Sid, who is director of philanthropy and corporate citizenship for tech giant Microsoft. “At Microsoft, we invest hundreds of millions of dollars every year in the communities where we live and work, with a particular focus on those in most need, because it is the right thing to do and because it helps us as a business,” he explains.

For example, Microsoft is currently working on several science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives, several of which focus on empowering schools and non-profit organizations in Latino neighborhoods.

Corporate motives aren’t always altruistic but that doesn’t make their help any less important, according to Brentwood’s Espinosa. Her brother agrees. “We know that these bright and capable kids need these skills to be successful in life, and we also know that our company will not be able to fill our employment needs unless we can get more women and people of color prepared for high-tech jobs,” he says. “It is a win-win situation if we can work together to make sure that every kid has the skills that they’ll need for the jobs of the future.”