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According to the UAB 2017 Fall Undergraduate Demographics, the hispanics make up 3.3% of the total undergraduate population. 430 students out of 13,134.

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The median age of Hispanics in the U.S. is 27. This is a younger median age for the U.S. median age overall and for non-Hispanics. U.S. born Hispanics are younger than foreign born Hispanics, that average around 41. The median age for U.S. born Hispanics is 19. This is around the age of the students interviewed for this project and most college students in general.

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According to PewResearch, the college enrollment for hispanics in general has increased in recent years.
In 2014, it was recorded that 35% of Hispanics ages 18 to 24 were enrolled in either a 2-year or 4-year college.This number is an increase from 22% in 1993.
In addition to the college enrollment increasing, the percentage of highschool hispanic dropouts has also drastically decreased.
In 2000, 32% of hispanic highschool students dropped out.
In 2014, that number decreased to 12%.
[Image provided by PewResearch.com]

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In conclusion, Hispanics make up over 16% over the U.S.'s population, the second largest race in the country. The Hispanic population in the U.S. is over 50 million, while Alabama has only a Hispanic population of 190,000. Hispanics are the second largest race in the U.S., so logically spanish would be the second most spoken language. In fact, it is! Over 37 million people are spanish speakers! In Alabama alone, 113,000 homes speak Spanish. All of our interviewees said that they use spanish to communicate to at least someone in their families! The U.S. median annual income was over $44,000, but the U.S. median annual income for Hispanics was $24,000. In Alabama, the median Hispanic annual income was $20,000, while the median income for non-Hispanic whites was $30,000. This difference shows how much of a struggle Hispanic college students may have affording college. In the U.S. 35 % of Hispanics are enrolled in college! In Alabama 6% of children enrolled in grades K-12 are Hispanic. These numbers continue to grow as years progress. The median age for Hispanics in the U.S. is 27. However, the U.S.- born Hispanics median age is 19, which is about the age of our interviewees!

So, there are many advantages and disadvantages of being a Hispanic in the U.S., specifically a college student in today's society. One of the biggest advantages of being a bilingual college student is all the possible jobs that are wanting to hire you! However, a common disadvantage is a language barrier that seems to be up in the U.S. Not many non-hispanics know how to speak Spanish and that can lead to communication errors.

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Hispanics are the nation's second-largest ethnic group, so it would be very logical to assume that the second most spoken language in America is Spanish. In fact, this is very much the case. There are 231,122,908 native English speakers and there are 37,458,470 native Spanish speakers. The number of Spanish speakers is significantly less, however, that is an impressive number when comparing it the third most spoken language which is Chinese at 2,896,766 native speakers. It can be seen how vital learning Spanish in America is becoming just by looking at the healthcare industry. It has become a job description for many healthcare professionals and administrative persons to have a good understanding of Spanish to communicate with the many Hispanic patients.

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Economic Status of Hispanics in the U.S. in 2015

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Economic Status of Hispanics in the U.S. in 2015

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Work/Earnings/Income (ages 16 and older)
In labor force (among civilian population) | 67.0%
Median annual personal earnings (in 2015 dollars, among those with earnings) | $24,000
Median annual household income (in 2015 dollars) | $44,800

This chart shows that the median annual earnings a Hispanic individual made in 2015 was $24,000. The median household income was $44,800. The economic status of Hispanics is low compared to non-Hispanics. The incomes of college students would reflect that of personal earnings. With taxes and others financially-taxing services to pay for, Hispanic college students may struggle to pay for college.

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Antonio is a native Puerto Rican. He came to UAB last year to play baseball. In the few months leading up to applying to be an undergrad at UAB in 2015, Antonio had to really develop his english in order to complete the application process. That was really the first time he was "fluent" at english, although after getting here, he realized he had a long way to go. One of his main points while we were chatting was that he wishes there was a resource, a person, to go to on campus to help him with classes. Athletes at UAB are provided with tutoring. However, none of those tutors provided knew spanish. Having a spanish-speaking tutor would have tremendously helped his transition into american classes taught in english.
Antonio values learning english very much. He said to me, "being bilingual is going to set me apart when I am applying for jobs in the future".

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My interview was Cailan, a sophomore at UAB.

J: Hey Cailan! How are you?

C: I’m good. And you?

J: I’m good, thanks. Let’s get started. Did you grow up in Alabama?

C: Yes. I’ve lived here my whole life.

J: What language is primarily used in your house? How do you know Spanish?

C: It’s English. My family speaks Spanish a lot, though. I learned so that I could communicate with my grandparents better.

J: Do you feel that there are any advantages or disadvantages of being Hispanic and a Spanish-speaker in Alabama?

C: I feel like there are both advantages and disadvantages.

J: What are some advantages that you can think of?

C: I am able to connect with more people because I can speak more than one language. I meet a lot of people through Spanish. It’s also a valuable skill. People, jobs, or other opportunities, like when people are able to communicate well. Knowing another language helps communicate with people you may not other be able to.

J: What are some disadvantages of being a Hispanic Spanish-speaker?

C: There is an expectation to know Spanish very well and be willing to help people trying to learn or translate things for them a lot.

J: Alright, thank you for your time!

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Language at home: Persons 5 and older
Only English spoken at home  I 55,000 (32%)
Language other than only English spoken at home I 113,000 (68%)

This chart shows that of the Hispanic population in Alabama, ages 5 and older, 55,000 speak only english while at home and 113,000 speak another language at home. In our interviews, Alejandro, Antonio and Sean said that they speak spanish around their families, but english while at school!

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U.S. rank
Total Hispanic population in Alabama | 190,000 | 34
Hispanics as percent of state population | 4% | 40
Hispanics as percent of U.S. Hispanic population | 0.3% | 34
U.S.-born Hispanics (percent of Hispanics) | 63% | 35
Foreign-born Hispanics (percent of Hispanics) | 37% | 17
Mexican origin (percent of Hispanics) | 60% | 29
Non-Mexican origin (percent of Hispanics) | 40% | 19

This chart explains to us the percentages of different Hispanics in Alabama. There is a total of 190,000 Hispanics living in Alabama. Of those 190,000, 63% was born in the U.S. and 37% were foreign born. Of the 37% that were foreign-born, 60% were born in Mexico and 30% were born in a non-Mexican country. Hispanics living in Alabama make up only 4% of the state's population. Hispanics living in Alabama make up only .3% of the U.S. Hispanic population!

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1. http://www.pewhispanic.org/states/?stateid=AL

2. http://www.pewhispanic.org/states/?stateid=AL

3.

https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf
4.
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/most-spoken-languages-in-the-us

5. https://www.healthyamericas.org

6. http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/03/alabama_hispanic_population_gr.html

7. https://www.ua.edu/news/2017/07/1-7-million-grant-to-increase-latino-nurses-with-bachelors-degrees/

8.
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/10/141130042/interactive-how-latinos-are-reshaping-communities

9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4174359/

10.
https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/hispanic-health/index.html

11. http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/03/alabama_hispanic_population_gr.html

12. http://chci.org

13.
http://lulac.org

14.

http://ushcc.com

15. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/TableDisplay.asp?TablePath=tables/table_05.asp

16. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/15/facts-for-national-hispanic-heritage-month/

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Total Population in 2010: 308,745,538

Hispanic or Latino Population: 50,477,594

The information provided shows the total population of Hispanics or Latinos within the states. Hispanics made up 16.35% of the population in the year 2010, making Hispanics the second largest race in the United States after Caucasians. This data shows the extent to which the nation's ethnic diversity has changed.

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Earnings: Persons 16 and older with earnings Median           U.S. rank
Annual personal earnings of Hispanics | $20,000                     | 31
Annual personal earnings of non-Hispanic whites | $30,000   | 32
Annual personal earnings of non-Hispanic blacks | $20,000   | 31

This chart illustrates the yearly earnings of people ages 16 and older. The average annual earning of a Hispanic is $20,000. The average earning for non-Hispanic blacks is also $20,000. However, the average earning for non-hispanic whites is $30,000. Alabama is ranked 31st and 32nd in economic status. Economic status could either be a advantage or disadvantage when it comes to Hispanic college students. If you or your parents do not make enough money, college is out of the question. Economic Status is definitely a huge factor of how well Hispanics thrive or don't thrive. Their are other states that have a higher annual earning for Hispanics, because Alabama is ranked 31st.

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U.S. rank
Number of Hispanics enrolled in K-12 | 47,000 | 35
Hispanics as percent of all K-12 students | 6% | 36

This chart shows that 47,000 children are enrolled in school between the grades of kindergarten to their senior year in high school. Alabama is ranked 35th state with the most amount of Hispanics enrolled in grades K-12. The chart also shows the percentage of Hispanics enrolled in school compared to every student enrolled in grades K-12, that number being only 6%. Alabama is the 36th state in regards to the percent of Hispanics enrolled in school. Hopefully in the years to come, these numbers will rise! The average age of a U.S.-born Hispanic is 14. Once they graduate, hopefully more students will be entering kindergarten to make up for amount of students leaving school!

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Age

Median age (years)All Hispanics | 27
U.S.-born Hispanics | 14
Foreign-born Hispanics | 35
Non-Hispanic whites | 42
Non-Hispanic blacks | 33

This chart shows the average age of hispanics born in the U.S., hispanics born in another country, and it also shows the average age of whites and blacks. The average age of hispanics in Alabama is 27, that is about 5-6 years older than the age of the students we interviewed! The average age of non-hispanic whites and blacks is shown to compare to the average age of Hispanics. The average age of foreign-born Hispanics and non-hispanic whites and blacks are all around the same age, late thirties and early forties. However, the average age of U.S.- born Hispanics is fourteen! That is a huge difference! More Hispanics are having babies here in the U.S.!

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Our goal for this project was to research advantages and disadvantages of being a hispanic student in today's society. We asked college students their opinion on this matter.  We chose five categories to talk about: Population and National Origin, Age, School Enrollment, Economic Status, and Language. We chose these categories because they all effect a college student. Whether it be what their economic status is, their age, what language is primarily used in their home, and whether they attended grades K-12. These categories, just by looking at the numbers, can show us how well Hispanics are doing in our society today.

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What I gleaned from the interview with Sean is that being a Costa Rican native and Spanish speaker has allowed him to connect with individuals across a wide spectrum, because he can introduce others to a culture they may not be familiar with, and it allows him to relate to the millions of people like him nationally as well as internationally. Also, it is apparent that despite him coming from another country, he is every bit American as one born in the States. He speaks the common language of the people, not only linguistically, but culturally. From his likes and dislikes to his mannerisms, he personifies the colloquial identity of the people. Does he have a problem with self-identification? I think not, for his calm and aware attitude exude no such internal dilemma. He is very much honest with himself as to who he is, which is a Costa Rican American; Sean is every bit the typical American college student.

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Alejandro was born in Colombia and moved to the U.S. when he was younger! He attends Auburn University and is a junior. Alejandro speaks spanish while at home to his parents and brother but speaks english while in Auburn. He is majoring in building construction and knows that being bilingual will be an advantage to him in the near future!