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FRESNO, CA - Two years ago, Veronica Garcia attended her first Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium. Last year, she made a film about it. Now, she is a college freshman at Fresno State University with an eye on a major in communications and a well-earned pride in her success.
“It was kind of hard for me to take off for college because I am the first child in my family to leave, the first to go to college,” Garcia said. “But I don’t regret anything. I love living in Fresno and going to school. I love planning for my future.”
Garcia, 19, is one of many students who credit the Hispanic Youth Symposium with handing them the knowledge and courage to apply for and attend college.
Her campus, CSU Fresno, has been a major supporter of the Hispanic Youth Symposium since its inception three years ago, and again will host it this year on July 24-27, helping inspire and guide 150 promising high school students to choose college and careers in the fields of business, science, technology, engineering, and math.
CSU Fresno Director of University Outreach Services Francis Peña-Olguin called the Hispanic Youth Symposium a “win-win situation” for all involved, from the educational partners to the youth motivated into higher education and leadership. The university supports the Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium with in-kind staff, space, and logistics.
“We saw a great opportunity to partner with HCF and reach out to Hispanic youth in our area, which is extremely important to us,” Peña-Olguin said. “We have a real long-term commitment - it truly comes from the top down.”
She said students transform during the symposium and appear to establish permanent relationships with other students and mentors. “It’s amazing how they come together as a group, and I think it gives them a wonderful opportunity to be on campus, live on campus, go to class; it’s like being a college student already, and many first-generation Hispanics have not had any exposure to college before.”
The California Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CV-HEC) is serving as the Hispanic College Fund’s lead community partner to help deliver the symposium in Fresno again this year. CV-HEC, a nonprofit partnership of 23 accredited colleges and universities in the area, is assisting with recruitment, office space, program promotion, and networking with community partners.
“The collaboration amongst all the valley colleges and universities for this symposium has been outstanding. In particular, CSU Fresno has really stepped up to the plate to host the event,” said CV-HEC Executive Director Cheri Cruz.
She credits CSU President Dr. John D. Welty as a strong supporter of the Hispanic Youth Symposium since its inception three years ago.
“He really believes in the vision of Hispanic College Fund to encourage students to graduate high school and attend college, provide students with professional mentors and career support, and inspire students to improve their communities,” Cruz said.
Welty in turn praised the Hispanic Youth Symposium from the perspective of a university with great success and interest in supporting education in the Hispanic community.
“At Fresno State, we have a long history of encouraging Hispanics to enroll and graduate, and we have consistently ranked as one of the top Hispanic-serving institutions in the country,” Welty said. “We believe our partnership with the Hispanic College Fund is an important and effective tool in encouraging a college-going culture among Hispanic youth.”
CV-HEC President Frank Gornick pointed out that the symposium’s investment in students today will improve the community tomorrow. “Investing in our youth in the HYS will help grow the economy of the Central Valley,” he said.
Boasting an impressive track record in several major U.S. cities, the Hispanic Youth Symposium has grown into a four-day event and one-year follow-up program designed to increase Latino knowledge of the milestones and prerequisites needed to prepare for and attend college. This year in Fresno, it will inspire more students to nurture their dreams and take pride in Hispanic culture with educational workshops, leadership opportunities, mentorship, and an emphasis on academic achievement.
Veronica Garcia, who was recruited into the program by the U.S. Forest Service Central California Consortium, filmed and produced a short documentary of students’ perceptions before and after the experience. It was her first opportunity to do something professional with her passion for video editing.
“In the beginning, it seemed (students) didn’t know what to expect, and toward the end, I was just amazed at how they were able to open up, ask questions, and communicate. I think they really got the feel for college, too,” she said.
A website with detailed information regarding the Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium will be released in May. For more information on the national Hispanic Youth Symposium, go to www.hispanicyouth.org.
To watch Veronica’s documentary on the symposium, please visit http://www.vimeo.com/1004063.
About the Hispanic College Fund
Founded in 1993, the Hispanic College Fund is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., with a mission to develop the next generation of Hispanic professionals. For 15 years HCF has provided scholarships and, since its founding, has incorporated internship and mentoring programs for students throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The result is an established career pipeline of talented and career-driven Hispanics who are trained in the fields of business, science, technology, and math.
The Hispanic College Fund has an annual budget of $6 million with 20 full-time employees. In 2006, the Hispanic College Fund received the Brillante award for “Nonprofit of the Year” from the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, and in 2007 was recognized by USA Today as one of the nation’s top 25 charities.
Website: www.hispanicfund.org
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Contact: Lisa Sandoval, Director of Communications, (202) 296-5400 ext. 117
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