By Jaime Dominguez

The image of the Latino or Latina in mainstream media and primetime television programming is under transformation. Instead of the traditional roles of the immigrant maid or the linguistically challenged truck driver, we now have talent on full display such as Selena Gomez on The Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and Sophia Vergara of ABC’s “Modern Family.”

But there is still room to grow in popular culture to reflect the Latino reality in this country. The next logical step is the Latino or Latina as the intellectual and academic.

With high school and college graduation season upon us, in the near and immediate future, you are more likely to see many more Latinos crossing the stage with a diploma in hand than ever before. A recent Pew Hispanic reportshows that Latinos are on the cusp of something phenomenal: breaking the stereotype that college is not for them.

According to Pew Hispanic, seven in 10 U.S. Latino high school graduates, or 69 percent, in the class of 2012 went to college last fall. That’s a record-high college enrollment rate for Latinos, and it’s the first time Latinos have surpassed white (67 percent) and black (63 percent) students, even as they lag behind Asian-Americans (84 percent.)

This is a milestone given that a little more than a decade ago, only 49 percent of American Latino high school graduates were enrolling in college. For Latinos, their 40 percent increase since 2000 is the most by any racial/ethnic group.

Read More Latino High School Grads Entering College At Record Rate: Let’s Assure Their Success | Alternet.