US Hispanic Marketing

Although about 12 percent of people in the U.S. are of Hispanic origin, they only make up about 4.5 percent of the enrollment in masters in business administration programs at colleges and universities.

But if Hispanics earn an advanced degree, they could improve their career earnings potential, said Eddie Correa, a western regional board member of the National Society of Hispanic Masters in Business Administration (NSHMBA), which grants 200 MBA scholarships nationally per year to Hispanics. The grants range between $2,500 and $5,000.

The average annual earnings in the U.S. for someone with only a high school diploma is $17,000; for someone with an undergraduate degree, $40,000; but for someone with an MBA $75,000, said Mr. Correa, who is Hispanic and a department manager at Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), of San Jose.

Although the MBA Mr. Correa earned in 1999 was paid for by his employer at the time, Xerox Corp. (NYSE: XRX), he says other Hispanic students aren't that lucky and Hispanic executives in the NSHMBA want to help.

"They themselves were helped, so they want to be part of the solution," he said.

Workshops on career management, entrepreneurship and education will be featured at the Northern California LEAD (Leadership, Education and Diversity) Conference to be held at the eBay Conference Center, 2161 N. First St.

NSHMBA volunteers such as Mr. Correa helped Sam Ulloa enroll in the MBA program at Stanford University. He graduates this spring. Mr. Ulloa, 29, is the son of migrant worker parents who never went beyond the second grade. Born in Mexico, he is a naturalized American and the first in his family to graduate from a four-year college.

He enrolled in Stanford's MBA program in 2003, thanks to a fellowship from the Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), which paid his $30,000 annual tuition, and a $2,500 scholarship from NSHMBA to cover other costs.