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But these virtues may be the same ones holding back many young Latinos from getting a college education.
A new survey of 2,012 Latinos ages 16 and older by the Pew Hispanic Center found that nearly nine in 10 Latinos ages 16 to 25 say a college education is important for success in life.
Yet only about half that number say they themselves plan to pursue a college degree.
The biggest reason for the gap between the value Latinos place on education and their aspirations to finish college seems to come from the financial pressure to support a family.
"They hear it all the time," said Aida Ceara, associate professor at Millersville University who directs the school's Act 101 program, which provides support services for disadvantaged students.
"Why do you need a college education? You need to start working and help support the family," Ceara said some of her students are told by their parents.
Latinos represent 5 percent of Pennsylvania's population, but the percentage of young Latinos who enroll in college is low compared with white and African-American students.
"It's happening across the nation and it's definitely happening here too," said Norman Bristol-Colon, executive director of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.
"A lot of it has to do with the economy," Bristol-Colon said. "But we have to be realistic. There is another major factor and that is the educational level of the parents and the perception parents and students have about college affordability."
Latino presence in colleges and universities across the nation has increased in recent years, said Bristol-Colon. But the numbers still are short of Hispanics' 15 percent representation in the total U.S. population.
"There is a large number of very successful Latino students, who excel in school and go on to college and earn graduate degrees, but they only represent about 12 percent of college enrollment," he said.
At McCaskey High School, the 2008-09 senior class has 619 members, and half of those students, or 310, are Latino, according to Philip Hostetter, a counselor liaison at the school. But only 76, or one-quarter, of the Latino seniors say they plan to enroll in a four-year college program.
A 2007 report on Latinos in Lancaster County, prepared by Alegre Research and Demographics, stated that in the 2005-06 academic year, Latinos in the School District of Lancaster had a 49 percent high school graduation rate.
A five-year view of post-secondary activity of those who graduated showed that only 18 percent went on to a four-year college.
One reason is because a college education in some Hispanic households, according to Ceara, is seen as a privilege.
"Even though Latino parents recognize the importance and value of a college education, they are living for the here and now, and not really thinking of the impact this will have in their child's future," she said.
The Pew Center report shows that nearly 74 percent of Latino students who didn't finish college said the reason was to help support their families. Some 40 percent said they could not afford school.
Average tuition at four-year public colleges rose 6.5 percent, or $429, to $7,020 this fall, according to the College Board's annual "Trends in College Pricing" report released Tuesday. At private colleges, the average listed price for a year of coursework rose 4.4 percent, to $26,273.
"I can't afford to go to the schools I want," said Jazmin Guzman, 17, a senior at McCaskey High School. "I don't want to end up in debt and since not going to college is not an option for me I will have to look for other options."
She is inspired by her mother, who has had a crucial influence on Guzman, instilling in her the importance of education from a very early age.
"I think sometimes it's the parents' lack of knowledge and the inability to communicate well with the school counselors," said Frances Rodriguez, who coordinates McCaskey High School's Project GRAD, which helps keep disadvantaged students finish school and encourages them to pursue higher education.
Some families, Rodriguez said, have no idea how to move through the college application process and are not aware of the funding sources available.
"It's very intimidating for them," she said. "Once they walk out the door and away from the information we feed them, the dream takes a back seat."
Whether the blame falls partly on the inability to access information, lack of funds and parental support or cultural sentiments, local Latino leaders recognize the educational attainment gap is real and critical.
"We have to develop our educational potential. We must ensure that we are providing parents with the guidance and training on the college admission process and financial aid," Bristol-Colon said.
The information and the funds are there, said Ceara, but the college mentality needs to be developed at the elementary level even when it seems so far away and completely unaffordable.
"This must be reinforced by everyone in the student's environment," she said.
The survey also found that, among Latino youths who have a high school education or less, and are not enrolled in school, their reasons for not continuing their education are:
• They need to help support their family, 74 percent.
• Their English skills are limited, 49 percent.
• They cannot afford to go to school, 40 percent.
• They feel they don't need more education for the career they want, 39 percent.
Fighting against the odds and discouraging statistics, Guzman is moving forward with her dreams of going to college.
"If I have to work then I will just to help out," she said. "But I ...want to focus on my studies and getting a good education."
Guzman hopes to earn a degree in early childhood education and eventually become a teacher.
