"Many Latinos come to North Carolina to improve their lives, but they encounter formidable roadblocks," says Mattei. "I want to knock down some of those barriers."

Education is one area where Hispanic and Latinos want and need to excel. Many turn to community colleges for education opportunities. The majority of students are now enrolled in basic English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, but the HLI wants to move more of these students to skill development programs.

"More than culture and language, these individuals must have job skills," says H. Martin Lancaster, North Carolina Community College System. "We want our community colleges to be more receptive and welcoming to the Hispanic and Latino population."

Mattei agrees receptive community colleges will help achieve the goal. However, she feels there must first be a true assessment of the present community college climate with regard to Hispanic students. Are they welcome on the campuses? Is there a real attempt to determine the level of competency of the student in their native language before an attempt is made to introduce English? Are these students encouraged to seek more education experiences?

Mattei’s agenda is long and one of the first items was to locate a group of individuals to serve on the HLI Advisory Board. The group will look at the many issues regarding Hispanic and Latino students and make recommendations to improve the situation. She found a group of members who share her passion and dedication on this issue. The board is comprised individuals with strong education, business and community ties. Many of the members are originally from countries in Latin America, have settled in North Carolina, and now want to help others achieve success similar to what they have attained. (A complete list of the Advisory Board follows)

Maria Montano, general manager at Univision TV, is chair of the HLI Advisory Board. She, with assistance from Mattei, will appoint the committees that will set the course of action for the Advisory Board.

According to Advisory Board member Francis Hoch from the Department of Instruction, the number of "limited English" students in North Carolina’s public schools has increased exponentially. In 1983 there were only three thousand such students in North Carolina’s schools, located in fewer than ten school districts and most were of Asian descent. Now, there are 70,000 students, located in all but three of the school districts in North Carolina. The majority of those students are either Hispanic or Latino, a vivid indication of the increase in this population.

"I am concerned about the parents of these children," says Hoch. She says the community colleges offer the best hope to ensure these adults are well educated and able to get good jobs.

The Hispanic/Latino Initiative was funded by a $200,000 two-year grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Mattei hopes the good works of the HLI will lead to additional funding and more opportunities to help a population in need, using the resources of the North Carolina Community College System.

Mattei was the director for Small Business and Community Service Programs at the Houston Community College System. In addition to planning and implementing the Small Business program at HCCS, Ms Mattei also collaborated with the Office of International Initiatives helping to develop international alliances and programs.