ETTRICK -- A hearty "Bienvenidos, Gov. McDonnell" from nearly 200 students greeted Gov. Bob McDonnell this afternoon when he arrived at the 2010 Hispanic Youth Symposium hosted on the campus of Virginia State University.
After posing for pictures with the students, McDonnell urged them to dream big.
"Work hard, dream big, follow the Golden Rule, care about one another, don’t make excuses, and you can succeed and be whatever you want in this country," McDonnell said during his keynote address.
Nearly 200 students from across Virginia gathered at Virginia State University this week for the 2010 Hispanic Youth Symposium, sponsored by the Hispanic College Fund. The four-day symposium is to empower Hispanic youth to reverse the high school dropout rate in the Hispanic community.
According to figures from the Virginia Department of Education, the dropout rate for Hispanics was 19 percent for the graduating class of 2009.
"There aren’t any easy paths to success, though, in this country. It does take day-to-day hard work," McDonnell told the students. "I urge you to seek to excel; set high standards. If you came in here with dreams, leave with bigger dreams."
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