A new financial aid website and a series of college-prep fairs are partnering to raise the graduation rate among Latino students.

He was an excellent student and the first in his family of Mexican immigrants to finish high school. But when he sat down with his school's counselor to talk about going to college, he received discouraging advice: just go and work in the steel mills. That's how Marty Castro's story begins, but it's not how it continued. Castro is not only the first college graduate in his family, but also a graduate of The University of Michigan Law School, who became the first Latino to lead the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Castro's story, however, is a disheartening exception within the largest minority in the United States, as Latino students represent only 14% of all US students who have earned a college degree. In an effort to bridge the gap, Castro co-founded New Futuro, a website aiming to become "the largest Hispanic scholarship database" i

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By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

My sister Marcela just came back from spending a summer in Spain, and during her trip she discovered amazing recipes that she couldn't wait to try at home.

At last Sunday's family brunch, Marcela and I put together a delicious and easy breakfast salad inspired by Spaniards love of including eggs in every meal (ever heard of a Spanish omelet?). This recipe is perfect for making overnight, and then take to work the next day. The ingredients are simple: avocado, boiled eggs, bacon, and asparagus.

To maintain the freshness of the ingredients, we stored the final product in glass containers. I usually store all my leftovers in glass containers, which not only preserves the food better, but it's also more sanitary and easier to clean. I stored the breakfast salad in the fridge, and the next day I drizzled it with olive oil and sea salt crystals. The sea salt seals all the flavors, and adds a delicious and crunchy kick to this flavorful dish. Vamos a des...Read More »

I'm a Latina who lives and works in two different languages and cultures. The choice of when to use one language over the other is usually self-evident: parents that only speak Spanish, a meeting with English-speaking colleagues, and so on. But as time passes, I've come to the realization that choosing one language over the other in specific situations reveals how I feel and who I really am in better and surprising ways.

For example, have you ever noticed what language you pray in, or cuss with or speak when making love? Not only did I ask myself these questions, I went home looking for answers from the bilinguals in my family.

Here's what I found out. See how you fare.

PRAY: I pray in English, but if I have to say El Padrenuestro (the Lord's Prayer), which I learned as a child, that goes in Spanish regardless. "I pray in English," says my sister Loida, "but my soul's expression is in Spanish."

They May Look Gringa, but They're Totally Latina!

CUSS: I

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In this video tutorial I'll show you how to get Eva Longoria's sultry look form the 2012 Alma Awards.

By Charleen Gonzalez for Shine Latina

Eva looked stunning on the red carpet of the Alma Awards. This Latina sure knows how to bring the "wow factor". Let's go step by step on how to re-create this look.

Gorgeous skin
Apply a moisturizing base like Clarins Beauty Flash Balm to hydrate and replenish the skin. Then, apply a makeup primer to ensure the longevity of the makeup. I used Tarte's Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hr Perfecting Primer. Eva had very matte looking skin, so I used Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation to create a flawless canvas. In order to expertly blend your foundation, try using Urban Decay's Optical Blurring Brush. To hide those under-eye circles, I applied a bit of Tarte's Maracuja Creaseless Concealer, and blended it in with Sigma's P88 Precision Flat Angled brush. I also used Bare Minerals new Stroke of Light Eye Brightener to give a b

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And the initials are not "JB"!

She's the kind of actre

ss, pop singer and fashionista most chicas love to follow and admire. But when we asked Selena Gomez who she looked up to, she had only one answer: the first Selena. "I was named after Selena Quintanilla, and I looked up to her growing up. I loved her music. I watched her movie over and over again. I went to Corpus Christie [Texas]; I saw her grave and her home. That's someone I definitely look up to," says Gomez.

VIDEO: Get Selena's makeup look

Like Quintanilla, Gomez was raised in Texas in a family who celebrated its Mexican roots and made Latin culture its own. The Latina actress reportedly grew up celebrating Quinceañeras and having Sunday asados after church. And when it comes to comida mexicana, she names pork tamales as her favorite dish, but says she's afraid nothing good will come out if she's the one preparing them.

Check out what Selena Gomez's says about love in her video interview:

Gomez was disc...Read More »