ESCONDIDO -- When an elementary school teacher told Mexican immigrant Martina Alejandrino she wouldn't amount to much because she didn't speak English, little Martina knew better. She bit her lip, sat up straight, and told herself she'd prove people like that teacher wrong.

Years later, when a counselor wanted to place the Escondido High School student in a slower class for non-English speakers, Martina refused and entered tougher, college prep courses instead. She nearly aced them, and this year is headed to UCLA to become the first person in her family to attend college.

Her plan? To become a math teacher in North County, and to encourage more Latino students to break away from stereotypes and go to college.

"There aren't a lot of Mexican teachers in the schools around here," said 18-year-old Alejandrino, whose father is a farmworker and whose mother cleans homes. "I think I could maybe make a difference for other kids like me, show them they can go further than people think they can."

That's the hope of The BECA Foundation, a countywide scholarship foundation that will award scholarships tonight to Martina and 18 other Latino students from North County.

The scholarships, which range from $500 to $1,000 per student, were designed to help smart, lower-income Latino students enter college.

"Most of these students' families can't afford to send them to a college or university," said Andres Martin, vice president of the foundation. BECA will award scholarships to a total of 36 high school students from throughout San Diego County.

"We don't want anyone not going to college because their parents say, 'We can't pay for your studies, mi hijo or mi hija," he added, using the affectionate Spanish terms for "my son" and "my daughter."

The scholarships can be used for tuition, books and other college expenses. They were awarded based on grades, financial need and each student's commitment to community service, Martin said.

Some of the scholarships are for students pursuing general studies; others target students who plan to pursue medical careers.

"I'm using it to go to Palomar College to become a physical therapist," said 18-year-old Raul Lopez, a graduate of El Camino High School in Oceanside. Lopez, an Eagle Scout and a kicker for El Camino's varsity football team, plans to play for Palomar in the fall.

"Being a kicker is stressful, it's sort of a do-or-die position," said Lopez, who said he hopes football has taught him how to deal with the off-the-field stresses that will come with a medical career. As a Scout, Lopez organized a bone marrow donation drive.

Both Lopez and Alejandrino, who for years has read stories at local day-care centers, exemplify the drive and community commitment the foundation is trying to foster among young Latinos.

"The Latino and Hispanic population is growing dramatically and is very important for the economy in the future," Martin said. "Education is the key to that success, education and community service."

For the UCLA-bound Alejandrino, that success means standing up for herself in a world where young Latino women still face steep odds.

"I know so many Latino girls who get pregnant and leave school," she said. "That was not going to happen to me."

Contact staff writer Erin Walsh at (760) 739-6644 or ewalsh@nctimes.com.