Beyond the statistics, overcoming barriers in higher education

SEASIDE, Calif. (KION-TV) From a very young age, David Manriquez said his dream was to swim with sharks.

His dream finally came true when he attended California State University Monterey Bay. Manriquez graduated with a bachelor's degree in marine science in 2020. He and his brother are among many Latinos who became the first in their families to graduate college in the United States.

However, only 1 in 5 Latinos in the United States have a college degree. Half, compared to the white population, according to a 2018 Census data.