Disclaimer: This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Latina Mom Bloggers. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was a teenager, all I had in my brain was graduating high school and moving out of my parents’ house. It was a battle with my parents that I fought hard because I wanted it so badly. I was excited to get out on my own and move on because I was sick of being a kid and reporting back to my parents with everything that I was doing. You know, the typical teenager stage. What I didn’t know was how hard it was going to be on my own. I had no concrete plan. I knew I wanted to go to college and I knew my parents weren’t going to be able to afford paying for it or want to pay for my education. With that, I had no idea on how much it was going to cost me and just assumed that taking out thousands of dollars of loans was the answer to my problems. I’ll get my education and just pay back everything later when I got a good job that would pay me thousands and thousands of dollars upon graduation, right? Well, two things happened. One, I didn’t graduate and two, my initial job wasn’t going to pay me as much money as I thought it was going to.

Oh my goodness, I struggled a lot to get back on track financially and while I have finally paid off my student loans (after what seems like a trillion years later), what I do know is that things will be different for my children. I am willing and able to help my kids find the best way to pay for their schooling, to see what there is for them out there.

Parents play a critical role in helping their children navigate the college application process and access the resources and support needed to excel in college and beyond.

Did you know that Hispanics account for 19% of all college students, ages 18-24? That’s a major increase, up from 12% in 2008. What’s more, 69% of Hispanic graduates are now going directly to college after graduating high school, a rate that is higher than that of the general population.

But the surge in Hispanic college-bound students presents a greater need for more information about college and financial support. As all parents that have college bound students can attest, navigating the application process can be daunting. What I wish I would have known about is the many scholarship opportunities there are out there to assist in helping with college.

Parents are the support system that kids need to get to and through college, but parents need support and encouragement too. That is why, HSF.Net is a wonderful resources for parents and their college bound children.

Check out this awesome PSA about the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and what it has to offer you and your family.