For immigrant families, going to college is often unthinkable.

In Latin America, where many emigrate from, college is only possible if a student has enough money to pay for the tuition. Generally, there is no financial aid system like the grants, loans and scholarships that enable many students in the U.S. to continue their education.

Access to higher education is a major concern for the eight Gear Up administrators meeting in Santa Fe this week.

Gear Up, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is a federal program that aims to increase the number of high-school graduates. In New Mexico, 21 school districts, or about 6,000 students, participate in the program.

According to these administrators, only 35 of every 100 ninth-graders in New Mexico make it to college. That's why Gear Up starts working with most students from middle school until high-school graduation.

In the upcoming academic year, the eight administrators and regional coordinators say they want to emphasize parent participation and college awareness, specifically in the immigrant community.

Most of the immigrant parents know about college but think it is unattainable, said Ricky Serna, the program's central regional coordinator.

"The primary reason is that they have a huge misunderstanding about going to college," Serna said. "They think it's too much money. There's a big 'aha' moment when I explain to the parents the possibilities for college."

So how does Gear Up staff break that barrier? It takes a partnership between school administrators, teachers, students and parents, said Lonnie McGuinn, the program's outreach coordinator. All parties have good intentions, but everyone is working on their own to reach the same goal, said McGuinn.

"The collaboration is super important. The district is trying to find solutions. They have good intentions, but if we're not having conversations together, then it's not happening," McGuinn said.

The four-day planning session for these eight Gear Up administrators ends today. As they go out into their schools across the state, they will have to sit, watch and learn, said Angelo Jaramillo, coordinator of the north region, which includes Santa Fe. He said it's necessary to learn more about Latin American cultures in order to better serve the students and form the collaborative community needed to help more students succeed.

"When it has the true value and power is when we're learning from each other," Jaramillo said. "If we would learn a little bit more from the 'new' immigrant ... if we would greet, listen and learn, ultimately we can create those communities."

Contact Sandra Baltazar Martínez at 986-3062 or smartinez@sfnewmexican.com.