May 17, 1998
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A.E. Araiza,
The Arizona Daily Star
Ernesto C. Bustamante plans to study law and public policy at Stanford.

By Dan Cassino
Special to The Arizona Daily Star

Ernesto C. Bustamante is not the type to take it easy.

The San Manuel High School senior said being active is necessary to make a difference in the mining town and surrounding communities north of Tucson.

He said he got his work ethic from his father, Ernest, 42, a pipe fitter for Asarco Inc. in Hayden, and his mother, Martha, 40, an accountant at the Tri-Community Resource Center.

``My parents are hard workers who are dedicated to family,'' Bustamante said.

``They have always been so supportive of me. They have taught me values. If I have the resources and I can help someone, then I try to do what needs to get done,'' said Bustamante, 18, who plans to attend Stanford University and study law and public policy.

Bustamante, student body president at the school of 600, founded two campus organizations that make him proud.

Last summer, he brought 21 seniors together to learn how to serve as mentors for pupils attending Avenue B and Mammoth elementary schools.

Through Philip Nice, a therapist for the Tri-Community Resource Center, the seniors learned techniques in dealing with children and their concerns.

Teens Educating and Mentoring (TEAM) worked with 120 sixth-graders this school year.

``We touched on issues including self-esteem, achieving goals and drug prevention,'' Bustamante said.

``All the studies show kids listen to young people better than their parents, teachers and other professionals,'' Nice said, adding that it's easier for children to digest material presented by people closer to their age.

While the mentoring program got off to a good start, Bustamante said he has hopes for the student chapter of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA).

Bustamante said he founded the MEChA branch because students need to voice their concerns to the Mammoth-San Manuel Unified School District board. He said there is a need for Hispanic faculty, advanced-placement Spanish classes and Mexican-American history classes.

``About half the student population is Hispanic, but we don't see that reflected in the teaching staff,'' Bustamante said.

``We have AP classes, but not AP Spanish. And if we want to learn about Mexican-American history, we have to take the classes in college.''

He said other school districts offer those classes and he sees a need at the high school.

Besides his work with TEAM and MEChA, Bustamante's energy is evident through his accomplishments as co-editor-in-chief of The Pick and Shovel, San Manuel's student newspaper; the Quill and Scroll, a journalism society; and in the school's chapter of the National Honor Society, for which he was the vice president.

``You've heard that it takes a village to raise a child,'' he said. ``I think you have to give back to the community because that's what raised you.''

Dan Cassino is a senior at Canyon Del Oro High School.