Going beyond the barriers

MEDFORD, Ore. -- Not meeting academic requirements, high teen birth rates and parents who don't speak English are just some of the barriers Hispanic teens face.

But there are some who go beyond those barriers. Here are two of them. 

Yaremi Mejia

For many kids in the Rogue Valley, it starts on Olsrud Court at Kids Unlimited. Through basketball and after school programs, leaders hope kids will see unlimited opportunities.

Back in 2005, Yaremi Mejia is captured on video saying, "When I grow up, I would like to be a basketball player, and I wish you will be my coach."

It was Tom Cole who she was asking to be her coach.

Mejia's wish came true. She's playing for South Medford's head coach, Tom Cole.

Mejia is part of Oregon's top-ranked girls' basketball team.  They're undefeated, but the game isn't everything to Mejia.

Her parents, who speak little English, reminded her of that.

"If you keep on going, you will be the first girl in our family to graduate from college." Mejia recalls them saying.

"They come from some backgrounds that they don't have a lot of support at home. And yet, they've managed to persevere and keep their goals around going to college always first and foremost." said Coach Tom Cole.

Hispanic students represent nearly 21 percent of the Medford School District's student body. Being the second largest sub-population group, Medford's Hispanic students show the highest percentage of not meeting the state's academic standards.

Mejia maintains a 3.5 GPA. Her success is getting noticed on the court and off.

Cecilia Magane has known Yaremi since 5th grade.

"She sets a really good example because she shows she works for what she wants. For example, if I need help on some homework and stuff, because we have kind of the same classes, she helps me in those classes. She'll teach me how to do the math, like math problems and stuff." said Cecilia Magane.

At Kids Unlimited, pictures show Mejia with friends who share her journey.

"When they did volunteering stuff, I would come and help to do games, and stuff. I made friends through Kids Unlimited so that's how pretty much I know a lot of people that are involved in Kids Unlimited." she said.

Coach Tom Cole said Mejia is like many student athletes who come from families facing language and cultural barriers.

"There's cultural barriers for young women to be playing sports, and for playing basketball - a sport that's pretty foreign to the culture of Mexico. It's pretty significant because not only have we integrated these kids into our community and into the sports scene, but you're changing a culture. What you're really doing is changing a cultural norm. What these kids do for younger kids to see them succeeding in school and succeeding in basketball gives these younger children, who look up to these kids, who many of them were just like five or six years ago an opportunity to feel like, you know, anything is possible." Cole said.

Lupita Vargas

Along the halls at Kids Unlimited, you can see pictures of basketball teams and friends. Lupita Vargas found an opportunity here. Now, she's on South Medford's top-ranked girls' basketball team. Vargas is a first generation Hispanic American.

But her plans for success go beyond the state final.

She may be the smallest on the team, but Vargas plays big. She competes on the harwood making the pass and scoring from downtown.

She also competes against tough choices like issues that label Hispanic girls.

"I feel like a lot of people think we might be slackers. I know there's a lot of my friends, or not my friends, but people that i see out there, that are pregnant or not doing well in school, or are in gangs." Vargas said.

High teen pregnancy rates are more common in the Hispanic community.

Research from the Jackson Co. Latina Health Coalition shows the Latina birth rates are more than double those for Non-Hispanics.

Mentors, like Jonathan Chavez Baez, helps teens like Vargas go beyond cultural norms in the Latino community.

"It seems like it's more, sports are more for the guys, for the boys. Traditionally, the women help mom, parents at home with the chores. But we really are trying to talk to these parents. We're a very big advocate of talking to parents and explaining the whole process, that in high school you can participate in activities and sports is one of those." said Chavez Baez.

Vargas' parents say she knows who she is and what she's about.

"Nothing comes easy in life. Through sacrifice and hard work, you will meet your goals." Rosa Vargas tells her daughter, Lupita.

"We come to a day in society where what Lupita does seem exceptional, when it should really be the standard." her brother, Beto, said.

Lupita Vargas has a 4.0 GPA and she has big plans for college. Basketball may not last.

"I think I'm just going to focus on my studies because I want to do something in pre-med. I just feel like it's going to be too much pressure trying to balance both of them out." Vargas said.

Her family attends as many games as they can. For them, Lupita is a dream that's been 17 years in the making.

There are others like Lupita Vargas, who use basketball and mentors as a driving force of success.

Beyond the game, Kids Unlimited looks like one place where leaders are seeing the fruits of their labors. Yaremi Mejia and Lupita Vargas are examples of that.