High School Students Will Visit the UA for Hispanic Heritage Month
The UA on Sept. 21 will host Campus Day, a recruiting event projected to draw more than 200 Hispanic high school students as a part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, officials said.
“This year, we invited 250 high school students from Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Siloam Springs,” said Luis Fernando Restrepo, assistant vice provost for diversity.
“The day doubles as a diversity event and a recruitment opportunity,” said Cedric Kenner, director of the Multicultural Center.
“The initiative will help in our diversity recruiting efforts and provide the community with a better outlook on programs that are available on this campus,” Kenner said.
Counselors chose high school students with a 3.0 GPA or higher to participate in the event. For many of the students, it’s their first time on a college campus, Kenner said.
“Students will tour campus, have lunch in the campus dining halls, meet with the admissions office and have their first experience of campus life,” said Cecilia Grossberger-Medina, marketing and PR specialist for the First Year Experience program.
Students will also learn how to pay for college, Kenner said.
“There will be presentations on choosing a major, financial aid opportunities, how to get admitted into college, resources that are available for college students and much more,” he said.
The students will also attend a campus fair, where Chancellor G. David Gearhart and other guests will speak on applying and preparing for college.
“Hispanic students at Arkansas are making their mark in all aspects of campus life, and their contributions enrich the university experience for everyone in the Razorback family,” Gearhart said.
Latino organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Latin American and Latino Students and the Office of Latino Academic Advancement and Community Relations will also be present.
“We want them to know that these are the support networks to help them succeed and that there are plenty of opportunities to get involved,” Restrepo said.
Other organizations attending Campus Day are the Hispanic Heritage Month Committee, the Multicultural Center, UA Admissions, the Walton College of Business Diversity Programs, Diversity Affairs, College of Engineering, Chartwells, Tyson and Cox Communication.
The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
