America COMPETES Reauthorization Act Of 2010

Floor Speech

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Ms. CHU. Today, a woman sits in a classroom at East Los Angeles College, taking notes diligently as her professor explains the different types of inorganic chemical reactions. Sylvia is the first in her family to attend college. She can barely afford the low tuition rate, even though she works full time to help pay for books and put food on the table. She is the embodiment of the American Dream--studying, persevering, working, all with the hope of transferring to a 4-year college to earn her bachelor's degree in chemistry.

But the road ahead is tough. She struggles to find rigorous courses that meet the demands of the 4-year institutions. She doesn't have access to a chemistry lab and her community college cannot provide the research opportunities available to her fellow students at larger universities. But she represents our path to economic recovery. Her success is imperative to ensuring a skilled and diverse workforce for our Nation's future.

That's why I have introduced to the America COMPETES Act an amendment to include the community college and to help STEM students, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, transition from a 2-year to a 4-year institution. It will ensure that all students, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status, are afforded every opportunity to enter STEM fields. Without my amendment, we risk leaving Sylvia behind. We risk leaving her without the skills to earn a high-paying job that will provide her with the means to support her family and the skills to power our economic growth.

Forty-four percent of all STEM bachelor's degree holders attend community college at some point in their careers. Many of these students represent the neediest in our society. They are the ones who sacrifice so much just to better themselves and improve their chance of success. Nationally, community college students are older, more likely to receive financial aid, are more likely to be the first in their family to attend college, and are more likely to work while earning their degree. These students are the embodiment of the American Dream, and they must not be forgotten.

As a former professor at East Los Angeles College, I'm all too familiar with the hurdles these students face in working toward any bachelor's degree, much less those in the natural sciences or engineering. We need these students to succeed. By 2050, racial and ethnic minorities will make up over half of the college-age population. If we don't help them enter the most technologically competitive fields, we face a future in which America is no longer at the forefront of innovation.

I urge support of my amendment and the overall bill so that Sylvia and so many other students like her have the skills they need to be competitive and to ensure America will stay competitive tomorrow.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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