Think back to when you were in high school. Whether you’ve been out for one year or five years for some, many students here at Skyline College were in danger of not graduating at all.

For the members of the Hermanos Club, this was a problem for all of the original 15 members of the program.

Hermanos, which translates to “brothers” in English, is a program that started in South San Francisco High School as a way for Latino male students to stay focused and educated.

“It started a year ago with the idea of helping high risk young Latino males who were in jeopardy of not graduating high school to help them achieve the goal of graduating,” Hermanos Club Adviser Pablo Gonzalez says. “And then perhaps continue their education in college.”

In the college level, the focus of the Hermanos is not the same as it is in high school.

“It’s a big difference because the class actually provides instruction,” Gonzalez says. “The club is more focused on social consciousness, community activities and it’s also peer support.”

Gonzalez believes that the Hermanos is one of the most active clubs on campus, and on April 9-11, two of their members were invited to speak at a Student Services Conference in Los Angeles, in which the response was overwhelmingly positive, according to Gonzalez.

“They just wanted our story and they just wanted to know how they can start it in their cities too,” Hermanos Treasurer Tony Jara says. “So the Hermanos is known statewide now.”

Along with Jara, Hermanos Community Outreach Commissioner Jose Zaragoza was the other member who spoke for one of several workshops at the conference.

“We got invited by the chancellor of all community colleges,” Zaragoza says. “They invited us to go down there to speak about Hermanos because they heard that we were really getting out there and going to community events.”

Although these students are doing something positive for their community now, it took a lot for them to make drastic changes in their lifestyles to better themselves.

One of these students who have found success with the help of the Hermanos is Luis D. Osorio, 18, who is also the Vice President of the Hermanos Club.

“We were all seniors in high school who were one fight or one grade away from getting kicked out,” Osorio says.

“I was basically just a bad kid, pretty much,” Osorio says. “I was getting into fights constantly. I was one fight away from getting kicked out of South City High School and I realized that I had to do better for myself because I do everything pretty much for my grandma. I thought about it and my grandma doesn’t want me to be unsuccessful. I had to pay attention, I had to focus and just get out of high school.”

Like many high school students who are at risk of repeating a grade, Osorio realized that he had to make some drastic changes, and this is where the Hermanos Program comes in.

“I guess they just made us overall focused on what we had to do because no one wants to be in high school forever,” Osorio says. “Instead of being in a big classroom, this was a more settled, smaller class that gave individual focus on what we need to learn and what we need to do.”

Jara, who was in a similar situation, also used the Hermanos program as leverage to graduate from high school.

“I wasn’t one fight away from not graduating,” Jara says. “I was pretty much just five credits behind from graduating. I was the one not going to class or going to class and not doing anything, and when the Hermanos came, they gave me the five credits I needed to graduate.”

Zaragoza, who initially did not want to go to college, realized that it is not as bad as he thought it was.

“At first, I didn’t want to go to college,” Zaragoza says. “I thought it was going to be expensive and boring, but we went to Berkeley and San Francisco State and they told us about it and that it wasn’t really that expensive and boring because you get to pick your classes. In high school, they picked your classes for you. I was kind of waiting to go to college after Hermanos took us down there.”

The impact of the Hermanos Program is tremendous, Gonzalez says.

“I have been involved in many programs,” Gonzalez says. “And I have never seen a program that has been as effective as this, simply not because I say so, but because the students have gone such a transformation in such a short period of time.”

The Hermanos Program at Skyline College is open to all students, and not just Latino males, as it was in the high school level, and the members encourage everyone to join and make an impact in the community.

“People should join if they want make a difference in their community,” Osorio says. “There are a lot of people who say they want to, but when a program like this comes around, they don’t have the time or they don’t have the patience, but we’re always around. There are always people you can talk to and ask us questions, but if you’re really into helping your community and really trying to help people, not just Latinos, this is about helping everyone to further better themselves, then join the Hermanos.”