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ALBUQUERQUE, NM - One hundred underserved high school students will be exposed to a variety of colleges and universities during the upcoming New Mexico Hispanic Youth Symposium, which will be held on the campus of the University of New Mexico from July 9-12, 2008. University representatives have been invited by the Hispanic College Fund and New Mexico Math Engineering Science Achievement (NM MESA) to explain their application processes and introduce their schools to the students.
Colleges and universities that are scheduled to participate include the College of Santa Fe, the College of the Southwest, The Colorado College, Hasting College, Luna Community College, New Mexico State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. John’s College, the University of New Mexico, and Yale University.
“This is the first time that the Hispanic Youth Symposium will be held in New Mexico,” said Fernando Barrueta, Hispanic College Fund CEO. “We are very excited to be able to bring together so many excellent colleges and universities to speak one-on-one with these students, many of whom will be first generation college achievers. Introducing them to the very admissions counselors who can advise them on requirements and essay writing is an opportunity they will have never had before. It’s also a great opportunity for these colleges to reach talented students.”
“The exposure that colleges and universities receive through their participation is beneficial for both the communities in the area and for the University itself,” said Adam Torres, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University. “Yale’s participation with the Hispanic College Fund and its partnerships in general reflects its commitment to diversity as it aims to present the opportunities it possesses to and for all communities.”
The New Mexico Hispanic Youth Symposium is a year-round program that guides and inspires Hispanic and Native American high school students to achieve a college education and professional career in business, science, technology, engineering, and math. The program will begin with a four-day, three-night kick-off event on the campus of the University of New Mexico in July, where the students will participate in an intense array of workshops and competitions that teach the students about how to apply for college, take a leadership role in school and their communities, and pursue a professional career.
During intensive college preparatory workshops, the students will be taught about taking the SAT, the importance of college preparatory coursework, writing a college essay, and paying for a college education.
Later in the program, the students will be provided with personalized business cards and encouraged to network among the participating colleges during a college and career fair. During the fair the students will speak with the college admissions and recruiting representatives to ask questions about admission requirements, college majors, financial aid, and any other issues the students wish to address.
In 2008 the Hispanic College Fund Youth Symposium will be offered in seven cities: Fresno, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Fairfax, VA; and Richmond, VA. It is expected that the program will expand to Southern California and other regions in 2009.
Sponsors of the program include the National Nuclear Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, the New Mexico Legislature, Wells Fargo, General Dynamics C4 Systems, the University of New Mexico, the USDA, Applied Research Associates, Sandia National Laboratories, Inquiry Facilitators, the New Mexico State Human Resource Management Council, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the NM Optics Industry Association, Google, and the New Mexico Office of Workforce Solutions.
To participate, students must be residents of New Mexico; have a GPA of 2.5 or higher; complete an application and essay; submit $10.00 (waived on request); and be Hispanic or Native American or relate to Hispanic culture.
To learn more about the Hispanic Youth Symposium in New Mexico, visit http://www.hispanicyouth.org/symposium-new-mexico.
For information on how to sponsor the Hispanic Youth Symposium, call Kathryn Grady at (202) 527-0372 or email her at kgrady@hispanicfund.org.
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 a 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
About New Mexico Math, Engineering, Science Achievement
New Mexico Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement (NM MESA), Inc. is a non-profit organization and part of a national initiative promoting educational enrichment for pre-college students from historically under-represented ethnic groups. NM MESA prepares these students for college majors and careers in mathematics, engineering, science and related fields. NM MESA is a statewide program with year-round activities that include tutoring; academic, university, and career counseling; field trips; academic competitions; leadership development, summer programs; teacher professional development; and scholarship incentives.
Website: www.nmmesa.org
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Contact: Lisa Sandoval, Director of Communications, (202) 296-5400 ext. 117
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