Arizona Hispanics’ buying power is expected to hit an all-time high at $57.3 billion by 2022. In the Phoenix region alone, about 310,000 Latinos plan to buy a vehicle over the next year. About 95,000 plan to purchase a home or condo. 

These are just a few of the facts contained in the 2020 DATOS report, “The State of Arizona’s Hispanic Market,” which paints a telling portrait of Latinos’ growing economic power and influence in Arizona. 

This is the 24th year the Arizona Hispanic �鶹��ýӳ�� of Commerce (AHCC) has released this comprehensive report that details statistics about economics, health, population, community safety, and other trends within the Hispanic population.

The 240-page DATOS report is packed with information about where Latinos shop, where they bank, how they spend their vacation time, which neighborhoods lack access to a healthy food supply, business ownership, and much more. 

This year, about 1,360 viewed the virtual event. Gov. Doug Ducey spoke briefly to thank the chamber for its work in helping students and entrepreneurs.  

“Earlier this month, it was my privilege to honor Hispanic Heritage Month and the countless ways Aironza is enriched by our Hispanic community from our culture to the arts to our history and more,” Ducey said. “Arizona values the contribution of the more than 2.2 million Hispanic people who call our state home.”

Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the , said the DATOS report is vital in its role to report data that tells the real story of Hispanic contributions in Arizona and the U.S.  

Each year, the chamber selects one issue to highlight. Education was chosen this year to shine a light on progress as well as challenges ahead. 

Arizona’s future relies on Latino students’ success 

Today, 46 percent of public K-12 school students in Arizona are Hispanic. They are outpacing White and Black students in attendance, Villalobos said.  

“This is a key indicator of what our future workforce will be in the U.S. as well as our future consumers,” she said. 

While high school graduation rates and school achievement are increasing in Arizona, Latino students still lag behind all other groups when it comes to completing a college degree, according to the DATOS report.  

To address that, there needs to be a combined effort between educators, policymakers, the business community and citizens to create a brighter future for these children, Villalobos said. Teacher pay and per-pupil spending continue to be a concern. 

“On average, Arizona’s F-rated schools have a student Latino population of 67 percent and they only make up 27 percent of A-rated schools,” she said.

Public policy matters 

One likely reason for students struggling is Arizona’s former English-only law, Villalobos said. Arizona was the last state to ban the law, which caused large numbers of Hispanic children to be pulled out of core classes to attend English class daily, Villalobos said. 

Teaching students in their own languages improves test scores, she said. Today’s businesses want employees who can speak more than one language. 

“It is an advantage for students that need to be celebrated and not repressed,” Villalobos said. “The data bears this out.”

Latino business growth explosion  

Latino business ownership in the U.S. and Arizona is soaring. Between 2009 and 2019 in the U.S., Hispanic-owned businesses grew by 34 percent while U.S. business ownership overall only grew 1 percent.

In Arizona, the numbers are even more stark. Between 2007 to 2012, Hispanic-owned businesses grew by 70 percent while business growth overall was only 2 percent.  

Topping that are Latinas. This year’s report reveals important facts like Hispanic women-owned firms in Arizona grew 116 percent between 2007 and 2012. 

While Latinos are seeing economic and educational gains, they continue to lag behind in areas such as quality health care, transportation, jobs, and business profits, the report found. 

Other findings 

Among the other findings:

• U.S. Latino buying power could reach $1.9 trillion by 2023
• Hispanics now account for 30.9 percent of Arizona’s population
• Phoenix is ranked the sixth largest major city for Hispanic population with 643,000 residents
• The Hispanic U.S. high school graduation rate moved from 57 percent in 2000 to to 71.8 percent in 2019 
• In Arizona, the Hispanic high school dropout rate decreased to 4.64 percent in 2019 but is still about twice that of White students 

Community collaboration makes DATOS possible 

Salt River Project was the main sponsor of this year’s 2020 DATOS report. More than 45 companies and organizations contributed and supported its completion including the Arizona Democratic Party, Arizona Federal Credit Union, Arizona State University, Arizona Town Hall, Chicanos Por La Causa, Expect More Arizona, Fuerza Local, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the city of Phoenix, Rounds Consulting, the University of Phoenix, Univision, U.S. Senator Martha McSally’s office, and Telemundo. 

To read the full report, go to:

About the AHCC 

Founded in 1948, the Arizona Hispanic �鶹��ýӳ�� of Commerce is the advocate for the state’s 125,00 Hispanic-owned businesses and more than 2 million Hispanic consumers. The non-profit organization provides products, programs and services related to market intelligence, capacity building, advocacy and education to benefit its members, corporate partners, and the wider Hispanic and minority communities.A virtual panel that will delve deeper into the results of this year’s report will be Thursday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. To register for the free event, go to: .

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A unique program at Arizona State University (ASU) that partners top students with corporations and government agencies to advance prototypes, product development and other design projects is gaining traction as a talent pipeline for modern industry. 

The program, called Practice Labs, also is helping attract businesses to the state. Not only do companies and agencies get to partner with the brightest students, they have access to ASU’s vast research offerings, laboratories and state-of-the-art as well.

Practice Labs is one example of ASU’s national leadership role in commercializing ideas and sending students into high paying careers, said Jon Relvas, who oversees the program as director of business development, Corporate Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, ASU Knowledge Enterprise. 

“The essence of this is to get students applied experience while in school so when they leave, whether it’s an undergraduate or a graduate degree program, they’re leaving ASU with experience in their field of study,” Relvas said. “Companies want to know students have worked on some challenges, and these students are leaving with major accomplishments on their résumés.”

Practice labs solve complex industry challenges

Practice Labs is designed to help businesses and government agencies achieve their “large objectives,” Relvas said.

“This is meant to help industry go after their vision, and how do we help them get there and utilize all the resources across ASU to do it.”   

Test labs from interior design to space technology 

Each Practice Lab is created to solve the specialized need of a corporate sponsor. When a company or government agency becomes a sponsor, Practice Labs coordinates with ASU’s to find the best students for the test lab. 

Corporate sponsors can pick from any number of programs for a Practice Lab, from software design and development, drone technology, data science, and interior design to space technology. Among the most popular are engineering within Ira A. Fulton and design programs within the Herberger Institute for including architectural design, environmental design, prototype development, and product redesign.  

Since Practice Labs was initiated about three years ago, the program is seeing results including one spinout. 

The company CYR3CON, collaborated with ASU to form a Practice Lab tasked with developing  cyberattack identification software. Students helped accelerate development of a system that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and data mining to predict when hackers are planning to strike. CYR3CON recently filed its first patent for the software which will be commercialized as part of the company’s suite of products. 

Phoenix Children’s Hospital, one of the highest ranking and largest pediatric hospitals in the country, also formed a Practice Lab with ASU students to create an app that would replace outdated medical forms. The app is designed to eliminate much of the time doctors must spend filling out electronic records every day.  

Practice Labs available year-round 

Unlike internships, Practice Labs are available to industry year-round. Also, projects are not time-limited. Companies and organizations can work with student and faculty teams from a few months to a few years, Relvas said.

“This opens up opportunities for businesses that have a challenge that they want to solve in January and they don’t want to wait until June or July for summer internships to roll around. They’re also not locked into the semester schedule.” 

ASU focus on entrepreneurship and commercialism pays off 

ASU’s focus on collaboration and research with corporate partners is one reason it has been named the most university five years in a row by U.S. News & World Report. 

Much of the credit goes to ASU President Michael Crow, whose vision has transformed Arizona’s largest university into a powerhouse of entrepreneurship and research. In fiscal 2019, its research expenditures totaled $640 million.  

Today, ASU is considered a magnet for industries like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract manufacturer of silicone chips. The company recently plans to build a $12 billion plant in Phoenix. The project will create over 1,600 new high-tech jobs and generate thousands of additional jobs in the state.

Communications technology company Zoom also recently announced its plans for ain Arizona. It is looking for space near ASU where it is actively recruiting student engineers. For more information about the practice labs, visit: .

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No senior prom. No walk across the stage to accept that first college diploma. 

These are the realities for many graduating students across �鶹��ýӳ��nder the pandemic stay-at-home order. 

That’s why education advocates are encouraging everyone who knows a high school or college graduate to join in to celebrate and honor students and teachers in other ways this month on May 5 and May 20. 

“Teachers are missing their students and graduates are missing their friends, but they should not have to miss out on being honored,” said Christine Thompson, CEO and president of the nonprofit Expect More Arizona that is promoting the events. “This year, it’s especially important that teachers and graduates feel seen and celebrated.” 

Any kind of celebration will do

Because many students and teachers are unable to celebrate in traditional ways, Expect More Arizona is encouraging the state to join together for two special days:

• Tuesday, May 5 – Arizona Teacher Appreciation Day
• Wednesday, May 20 – Arizona Graduate Recognition Day

Any kind of celebration will do. Suggestions from Expect More Arizona include decorating front doors and yards with school colors, adding pictures to digital yearbooks, and virtual parties. The organization is posting , posters, social media images, and other tools to aid the celebration.  

Businesses also encouraged to honor educators, students

Expect More Arizona is also calling on companies and organizations to celebrate educators and students on May 5 and May 20 as well.

They are recommending businesses do things such as take out ads in local papers to recognize teachers and students, post celebratory messages on their home pages or hang banners near neighborhood schools.  

Creative activities and virtual ceremonies statewide  

Many high schools have already planned virtual graduation ceremonies and other activities to make their students and teachers feel special. 

Other schools are still undecided or have opted to have public ceremonies even if it means delaying them until it’s safe. 

All but one of the 11 Basis Charter schools in the state are delaying their ceremonies until it’s deemed safe to hold public events. Basis Chandler and Flagstaff are hosting online events as well.

Schools are finding new and creative ways to make memories for those missing out on the  traditional pomp and circumstance. 

Chandler High and Dobson High in Mesa, as well as other high schools across the Valley, have been turning on their stadium lights at night to honor the class of 2020. 

At Madison Highland Prep high school in Phoenix, seniors and their parents picked up yard signs from their school to celebrate their upcoming virtual graduation.

A teacher at Arcadia High School in Scottsdale went online to tell her students how much she appreciated them and brought along famous alum Alice Cooper. It was aired on ABC channel 15. Cooper’s message? “School’s out for summer — maybe a little early.” 

Many colleges to host virtual ceremonies 

A large number of colleges and universities are moving ahead with virtual commencements.

Grand Canyon University in Phoenix has been celebrating since virtually last week. Social media has been filling up with photos of students in their caps and gowns. Tim Griffin, pastor and dean of students, reminisced right along with them in a to graduates. 

Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, Yavapai College in Prescott and Arizona Western College in Yuma are among a long list of colleges planning virtual graduation ceremonies this month.  

Others, like Arizona Christian University in Glendale and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott will have commencement and homecoming in the fall or later.  

At Embry-Riddle, staff put on masks and gloves to put together commencement celebration packages for students to open this week. They contain the items they would have received at graduation. A custom label on the package instructs grads, “Do Not Open Until May 2” so its campuses worldwide can celebrate at the same time. For more information and more ideas, go to:

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Getting wired for success in rural Arizona

For students in rural Arizona, having high-speed internet can mean the difference between going to college or not.

Something as simple as accessing a college application or taking a course online is often out of their reach. That places them at the back of the school bus in competing with their urban peers.

Two years ago, state officials vowed to do something about it. They applied for and received federal matching monies to start the Arizona Initiative for Broadband Education program.

Since then, construction has been completed or is underway to bring broadband to rural schools across the state. Over the next two years, the goal is to help schools provide high-speed internet to 282,000 students.

“This is going to enable distance learning. It will allow a kid to watch open heart surgery being performed at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, take a biology class from Arizona State University or an architectural design course from MI-JTED (Mountain Institute Joint Technical Education District) in Prescott,” said Arizona Department of Education E-Rate Controller Milan Eaton, whose office handles applications from schools wanting broadband.

“By providing high-speed internet, we’re opening these kids up to the world,” he said. “That’s what we need to do. That’s our responsibility.”

In addition to bridging the technology gap for students, small school districts that pay thousands of dollars a month for poor quality internet, will now pay only a few hundred dollars a month for high-speed service as good as “downtown Phoenix,” Eaton said.

Rural Arizona schools among most needy in nation

In Arizona where 135 out of 223 school districts are considered rural, high-speed connectivity is  a critical issue.

A few years ago, Arizona’s rural schools were ranked second in the nation for having the “highest needs,” according to , a 50-state report by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Rural School and Community Trust.

A lack of broadband connectivity was cited as a major factor. While enrollment by high school students in online dual enrollment classes continued to rise, rural students in Arizona were being left behind.

With the help of Gov. Doug Ducey and former Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin, Eaton was able to secure $11 million in state funding to use for matching funding to apply for a Federal Communications Commission grant.

The return on the state’s money has been tenfold. More than $115 million in federal funding has been awarded to Arizona to bring broadband to rural schools and libraries in all 15 counties.

The high amount awarded reflects Arizona’s extreme need. Schools must meet certain poverty guidelines to receive funding.

Equipping school buses, hot box packs

Rural students in the state, many whom are Latino, low-income or first-generation students, consistently come up short when it comes to postsecondary academic attainment, according to a released last October by the nonprofit College Success Arizona.

To help bridge the technological divide for poor students, schools like Alta Vista High School, an alternative charter school in South Tucson, allow them to check out hot boxes so they can have internet at home, too.

In the Vail school district nearby, school buses that trek to outlying areas within the 425-square- mile district have long been equipped with wifi so students can study on the 45-minute rides to and from school.

Vail, that is largely a suburban district with a couple of rural pockets, was one of the first in the nation to provide one-on-one laptops for students. It later developed a comprehensive online lesson sharing program called that it sells to other districts.

Technology has been the “driving force” behind the district’s high academic success, Communications Director Darcy Mentone said. To read more about how broadband is impacting Arizona schools, go to: .

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Mesa Community College released a customized version of Emsi Career Coach, which is set to help students and future students make career and education decisions.

Emsi Career Coach is an online tool that uses Valley workforce data and a personality assessment to introduce users to fitting career ideas and lead them on a path to success in their education and their career endeavors.  

“If you’re not sure what you want to study, we really want to get people thinking about careers as maybe one of the first steps, so you can match your knowledge skills and aptitude to a good fit,” Michael Voss, Mesa Community College (MCC) Dean of Career and Technical Education, said.

Voss explained that when students plan for education and career decisions, they consider potential salary, , and the ability to grow.

When students pursue an education, they “want to make sure they get a good return on that investment,” he said.

Emsi Career Coach also takes the user’s personality and strengths into account.

“I think a lot of times people just aren’t quite sure. You wouldn’t believe how many undecided students we get that really want direction. They want to know from us, ‘What is the best bet? Maybe I’m interested in this, but what if there’s a better option?,’” Voss said.

The users can choose a 60-question assessment or a quick six-question assessment for the personality and strength portion of the test.

“Emsi Career Coach created a proprietary six question version that works pretty effectively. Time is of the essence for people, you know? They want to get to what they’re looking for right away,” Voss said.

He added, “And so, the six-question version is a nice way to not lose your audience and maybe get them tied to their career searches and then better yet matching the educational offerings that prepare them for their careers.”

Emsi Career Coach is available to MCC students, but it is unique because it is also available to future MCC students and others who are considering the school.

“The reason why this one works pretty well compared to some other ones we’ve looked at is when you use the tool, you don’t have to be a student here yet or you don’t need to create a log in,” Voss said.

He added, “So, you can get that information right away. That is a big distinguishing characteristic of Career Coach and other tools.”

The tool’s availability to those who are considering MCC helps future students gain a better idea of the education path they want to take so they can reach career goals.

“We really want to establish that connection with that person so once they’ve made the first step in the journey, we can help them with the rest of that. And, we can have that high-touch conversation,” Voss said.

Emsi Career Coach piques interest, and MCC helps the students take it to the next step. Voss explained that future or current students can request more information, meet with faculty and visit the campus so they can figure out their next steps.

“I think people need connection and sense of assurity to validate their thinking or validate some ideas off of [others] so they don’t start just taking courses and then realize, ‘Ugh, I had no idea this is what it was going to be,’” he said.

Emsi Career Coach can also serve as a helpful tool for transitioning military service members as it can match their current work with civilian jobs, Voss explained.

The MCC-customized Emsi Career Coach can be found .

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