PSJA ISD receives 2nd College Readiness Grant from Texas Valley Communities Foundation
By Nadia Tamez-Robledo
November 9, 2010
SAN JUAN, TEXAS - ENCORE awarded Pharr-San Juan-Alamo CISD $10,000 to implement College Readiness Family Sessions, programming designed to help the families of students across the school district understand the benefits of obtaining a higher education.
ENCORE is a program developed by Texas Valley Communities Foundation in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote the importance of higher education and college readiness.
"We are looking forward to this partnership with ENCORE and the Texas Valley Communities Foundation," said Dr. Daniel P. King, superintendent of schools for PSJA ISD. "It goes hand-in-hand with our focus on increasing college readiness among our youth."
Developed by ENCORE, the program highlights the advantages of obtaining a university degree and provides families with the information they need to become actively involved in their children's academic success. The College Readiness Family Sessions will serve parents from three PSJA middle schools and one high school.
ENCORE awarded PSJA based on the district's record of facilitating access to high education for its students. In 2008, PSJA received a $10,000 ENCORE grant to develop a parent outreach pilot program at the T-STEM Early College High School, which promotes the importance of rigorous high school courses for college success and gives students the opportunity to earn up to two years of college credit.
"It is critical that parents are well-informed about the importance of a college education for a successful future," King said. "These parent sessions will provide more tools and information for our parents to use with their children."
Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF) believes in building a philanthropic community in the Rio Grande Valley through endowment funds dedicated to charitable and other philanthropic aims with the purpose of creating healthy and productive lives.
"TVCOF supports life-changing initiatives, such as the enrichment of students, parents and community on the benefits of college and career readiness. We are honored to partner with PSJA ISD, which was recently recognized for its Drop-out Recovery Program" stated Gilbert Maldonado, Chief Executive Officer, TVCOF.
Middle School Students Gain College and Career Knowledge with ENCORE CAMP
By Nadia Tamez-Robledo
November 12, 2010
EDINBURG, TEXAS - Near the chalk outline of a body, forensic investigators pass under the yellow "CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS" tape to examine the site. They note the red splatters and particles around the area before taking some hair samples back to their lab a few feet away. Under their microscopes, they discover two hair colors. They conclude that one belongs to the victim. The other could belong to the assailant, making it a key finding in the case.
This is not the set of a Hollywood crime drama, and these are not professional forensic scientists. They are students at Valley middle schools who got the opportunity to learn about the work of crime scene investigators through ENCORE's Career Awareness and Mentorship Program (CAMP). The ENCORE CAMP gets students out of their seats and into the action with hands-on activities exploring the fields of science, engineering, math and business. CAMP students also learn about the importance and benefits of obtaining a college education.
ENCORE is a program developed by Texas Valley Communities Foundation in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The ENCORE CAMP initiative was pioneered by Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Assistant Superintendent Maria Luisa Guerra, which she implemented across six middle schools. "What we want is to instill in them the interest and also to have the desire to want to complete high school and go into college to get a college degree," Maria Luisa Guerra said. "The students are very engaged, [experiencing] very much hands-on activities, and they're learning. But at the same time, they're having fun."
On CSI Day, students don medical gear and become crime scene investigators to learn how medical professionals use bone analysis, soil analysis and fingerprinting to solve crimes. They also have the opportunity to develop a product using real business strategies on Business Day and dive into robotics building and design on Robotics Day. "The ENCORE CAMP brings dynamic, real-world, hands-on activities where students have fun while they learn about their future careers," said Ernesto Villarreal, ENCORE Program Director.
ENCORE strives to increase college readiness among students across the Valley. In addition to initially attending college after high school, ENCORE empowers students and parents with the information and skills they need to ensure that students graduate for college and go on to successful careers.
"I liked it because it shows us stuff that we might not know about these jobs," said Juan Treviño, an 8th grader at Memorial Middle School who participated in CSI Day. "I learned about all the people it takes to solve just one crime. It gave me ideas for the careers I can have in the future."
Valley Families Explore College Plans Together in ENCORE Sessions
By Nadia Tamez-Robledo
Everyone has heard of the gray house that is as gray as gray can be. Inside, the mother and father watch television and worry about the bills waiting to be paid while their three children sit locked behind their bedroom doors and plug into their mp3 players. No one talks about college. Mom and dad assume the school is preparing their children for the university and a successful life, trusting they can handle it on their own. Without guidance from their family to help them understand the value of an education and prepare for college, the children drop out of high school, enter the workforce immediately after graduation or fail to complete college. They have the same struggles as their parents, go on to have families and live in their own gray houses, continuing the cycle.
According to research from the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, students rely more on their parents for guidance on what to do after high school than they do on friends, teachers and counselors. Through its College Readiness Family Sessions, Encouraging Communities for College Readiness (ENCORE) is helping Valley families learn about the career possibilities higher education can provide while giving parents the knowledge and tools they need to support their children through a successful high school-to-college transition.
"These ENCORE Family Sessions are key to establish a college-going culture in our communities," said Ernesto Villarreal, ENCORE Program Director. "We need to continue to work with as many families as we can to promote the importance of setting a college expectation at home."
In September and October, ENCORE hosted six College Readiness Family Sessions for the families of students from six middle schools and 26 elementary schools in the Edinburg school district.
"It helps us parents get more involved in our children's education," said Caterino Cabrera, who attended ENCORE sessions with his son. "Sometimes we get overwhelmed with work or the other kids, and we don't really focus on that [college preparation]."
Through the interactive programming, families learn the importance of parental involvement in their children's education, the benefits of a college degree, and what it takes to be college ready. "A lot of times we wait until high school to talk about college when we can start in elementary and middle school," Dalila Garcia, principal at Austin Middle School, commented after hosting a ENCORE College Readiness Family Session at her campus. "It doesn't necessarily have to be only the teachers or schools that brings it up but we need the support of the parents as well."
According to TVCOF, many parents who were surveyed said they feel that schools adequately prepare their children for higher education. However, they showed high levels of willingness to get involved in promoting students' college readiness, which 80 percent of parents saying they would volunteer at their children's schools and 69 percent saying they would be willing to pay for tutors.
"I want my children to be prepared so they can choose a career," said parent Manuel Rodriguez. "I want them to be prepared and move forward and choose the career they want."
During the activities, families work together to explore what they can do to make sure students successfully enter college after high school and go on to graduate. In addition to reviewing the classroom skills students need to perform well in a university setting, they gain "college knowledge" about the application process, preparing for entrance exams, and learning the value of taking college preparatory coursework.
"He will continue going to ENCORE so he can keep learning what's out there and what they teach," Elizabeth Perez said about her son. "And us, too. We still learn what else we can help him with in the future."
College Readiness Family Sessions will continue in school districts around the Valley throughout the academic year.
Edinburg CISD Receives Grant From Texas Valley Communities Foundation
By Nadia Tamez-Robledo
EDINBURG, TEXAS - Amidst applause from an on-looking crowd, Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF) presented board members from Edinburg CISD with a check for a second consecutive year to fund the ENCORE Program to fund higher education awareness programming that will help students, parents and community across the school district explore the benefits of attending college. The school district was awarded based on its continual efforts to encourage and facilitate students and parents' ambitions to pursue university degrees.
"The grant will help us to continue working with parents for the continued education of the children in the school district and prepare students in middle school for college," Rene Gutierrez, Edinburg ISD superintendent stated to Telemundo 40.
Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF) awarded Edinburg CISD $20,000 to bring ENCORE College Readiness Family Sessions to families from six middle schools and 26 elementary schools in late September and early October. The program is aimed at helping parents and students navigate the road to higher education.
"TVCOF supports life-changing initiatives, through partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation, we are investing in the future of our community by educating students, parents, and community on the importance of being college and career ready," stated Gilbert Maldonado, Chief Executive Officer, TVCOF.
The College Readiness Family Sessions were developed by ENCORE as a hands-on approach to promoting college awareness among Valley families, giving parents the knowledge and tools they need to guide their children through a successful grade school academic performance and effective college preparation.
"These sessions educate the parents and give them more information about the importance of education in the lives of their children and preparing them to graduate from college," commented Assistant Superintendent Maria Luisa Guerra told Telemundo 40. "The ENCORE grant will benefit us greatly."
A research study conducted by ENCORE analyzing college readiness among students in the Rio Grande Valley found that 76 percent of high school students had aspirations of going to college, and parents overwhelmingly preferred that their children receive a 4-year degree over entering the workforce after graduation. However, only 15 percent of Valley residents currently have a degree beyond a high school diploma.
Through the College Readiness Family Sessions, parents learn how they can take an active role in preparing their children for success in college and learn the ultimate benefits of a college education.
"If we are really going to make college readiness something significant here in the Valley, we've got to go out and educate the parents," said one Valley educator. "That's where [real change] will start."
Edinburg CISD Summer full of College Readiness
By Desiderio Romero
EDINBURG, TX- While some were enjoying their summer playing video games, swimming in the pool and watching television, over 100 students of the Edinburg school district enrolled in the ENCORE CAMP to start preparing early for a college education.
During the Summer ENCORE CAMP, students had their visions opened, widened and strengthen of what is really expected of them to go to college, through a series engaging activities that left them empowered and energized to go to college.
“I’m definitely going into robotics,” stated Cecilia Rodriguez 9th, grade student from Edinburg North High School, geared to find out more about careers. “I know now what engineers do; they build things to make life easier. I can do that!” she concluded.
Cecilia is one of the over 100 middle school students from Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) who participated during the ENCORE Career Awareness & Mentoring Program (CAMP) from June 17th to 24th, in partnership with the Edinburg (CSID) Transition Starfish program. During the four-day ENCORE CAMP, students were involved in several interactive activities that gave them a better understanding of what college readiness involves. The first three activity days were in rotating order to accommodate students at their perspective campuses of Edinburg High School, Economedes High School and Edinburg North High School. The CAMP started with ENCORE College Readiness Day where students participated in interactive activities themed on different areas of the college readiness process. They learned the advantages of pursuing a postsecondary education, reviewed college and high school requirements, sought career paths and understood the importance of seeking a mentor.
ENCORE CSI Forensics Day allowed students to become detectives for a day using different forensic procedures to solve a murder mystery. They were in their science labs performing analyses like real field scientists, upon a simulated crime scene. Throughout the day students were executing various measurements, upon blood splatters with meter sticks, and bone thickness with vernier calibers and protractors, and hair analysis with microscopes. They also recorded their own fingerprints and studied the types of patterns they have.
On ENCORE Robotics Day, students grouped themselves into compatible teams of six to build and design a complex computer programmed robot composed of over 100 pieces that they had to put to a timed maze race at the end of the day. While simultaneously, each team developed a business poster simulating a marketing ad to sell their robot across different markets. This day has the atmosphere of a sport arena mixed with a business convention. They were mentored by six college students enrolled in the engineering and computer science programs at University of Texas - Pan American. Students referred to their mentor for all the questions on how to build the robot and more importantly to share their experience on what goes on in college and how to prepare to get there.
The last day was an interactive ENCORE College Visit experience it provided a profound lesson to Osiris Garza, 8th grade student from Economedes he said “today taught me to start thinking of college, because getting a career with a college degree gives me a better quality of life”. The students visited the South Texas College’s Technology campus, along with their teachers, college peers and mentors. They had the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art facilities, exposing themselves to the electronic labs, machinery labs, and stood in the classrooms to achieve the vital careers needed in our growing area. The other half of the CAMP students went to the South Texas Nursing & Allied Health Campus where they visited the medical building and in small groups saw the college medical field environment.
These ENCORE students will continue to enjoy their summer looking for other fun activities after becoming college-ready and beyond.
ENCORE Scholars attend College Readiness Conference
By Oscar Garza
EDINBURG, TX - A sea of eager students wearing yellow ENCORE Scholar shirts engulfed the UTPA campus on May 7 and 8, 2010 for the inaugural ENCORE Annual Conference. The students carried a red bag on their backs, with an excited graduate raising his arms, seemingly symbolizing the future success that follows them. The energetic students briskly went to their respected breakout sessions where they were welcomed by corporate representatives with multitudes of inspirational backgrounds.
When asked what the ENCORE Conference was about, Charlie Giang, a Edinburg CISD 8th grader, stated, “The ENCORE Conference is where you meet lots of speakers, and they talk about their journey through their life, and that was pretty fun because we learned how they faced difficulties but they still made it as successful people.” One Valley Hispanic role model at the conference was Miguel Alanis, UTPA alum, with his presentation, “From the migrant fields to Texas Instruments engineer.”Alanis hails from Texas Instruments in Houston, Texas; he shared a little about his past, his family and his education leading him to success. On his work experiences in the fields he said, “It is suffering work, you suffer a great deal. I had a lot of time to think during those times about how I did not want to be in that situation all my life.” Parents present, most of them Hispanic, nodded vehemently with agreement on his remarks of struggle and achievement. On the issue of ENCORE, Alanis stated, “I think that the ENCORE program is a great program that is growing and it should be encouraged to participate and work with the universities as well. We hope that the universities can support them because it is their channel, their passage, to get more students in here and to get more professionals from the Valley.” Many students found Alanis’s presentation relevant to their lives, “My experience at the ENCORE Conference was exciting, like learning about how people from Mexico came and made their lives to the top. That was nice, my parents come from Mexico too, so I can figure out their [the presenters] experiences, so I enjoyed it a lot,” stated 8th grader, Jesus Sepulveda.
In another session, State Farm Insurance Representative Robert Elizalde, a graduate from Edcouch-Elsa High School and UTPA Alum, gave his presentation, “The value of a college education in the finance and insurance fields.” Elizalde spoke about mistakes he made in his youth, primarily, having too many jobs and not focusing on his education first. When Elizalde said, “The one thing that I offer to you, I’m going to give every single one of you one of my cards. And if any of you guys ever run into a snag, ever run into the ‘where do I go from here,’ you can call me, shoot me an email. That would be a wonderful use of my time,” the students were left in awe.
Rosy Rodriguez, a Latina Role Model working in the Satellite Division at Boeing Company, stated why it was important for students to be exposed to college-readiness at such a young age, “It is prime time to plant that seed in their head. College is the forefront of their future, now that they are at such a young impressionable age, its time to plant that seed and start the dialogue that they need to prepare for school, take advanced classes and have extra-curricular activities that will help them…it opens up that thought process for them.” Rodriguez hails from Los Angeles, California, and came to UTPA to share her experiences about the dynamics of the satellite business. Her presentation afforded the students to be aware that Boeing has multiple departments that don’t exclusively deal with engineering.
Haldo Treviño, an Edinburg CISD 8th grader, shared some words with us, “At the ENCORE Conference I learned about engineering jobs out there, you can work with Boeing, and its different sides like the satellites, or the actual machines. And the representative from Texas Instruments was teaching us how she [Perla Limas] went through high school but she didn’t know what her career was going to be, but when she graduated from UTPA with accounting, she showed us that you don’t actually have to be an engineer to work for an engineering company.” He continued about his eye-opening experiences, “The conference changed my perspective that I didn’t know that many people graduated through UTPA, I thought you had to go to…Harvard, or Princeton to be able to get those higher-end jobs. But the conference showed that those representatives they came and graduated through here, at UTPA, and they got those higher paying jobs.”
When Charles Galindo, from NASA, asked about if the Earth had any similar craters like the moon, several students knew the answer, “in Arizona,” and, “in Mexico,” they proudly said, and their responses left Galindo impressed. The students continued to be tuned into what Galindo’s experiences were and how he made it to NASA; even a few teachers were jumping in with questions of their own for the NASA Geologist. Galindo also spoke about the importance of being involved in extra-curricular activities and how those things will really make you stand out. He left them with these words of advice, “Don’t be afraid of taking the hard road, if you want to succeed further in life, do the hard things. Don’t always find the easy way out. Stick to it, work hard and eventually it will pay off, don’t give up, don’t let people tell you that you cannot do it. Do the best you can.”
One of the parents of an ENCORE scholar, Senaida Muñoz, was extremely enthused about the conference, “This is going to be an opportunity for my daughter to go on into college. She has been very enthusiastic about going and she likes it and she really enjoys it and she says she learns a lot. She is learning how to work with her peers and the teachers are also showing her how to work independently. I see a transformation. I would tell other mothers to enlist their children in the ENCORE program…this can benefit them, to succeed in college and they like to get involved and they like working with other students. It really helps them for their future success.”
Marie Flores, an 8th grade teacher stated, “I think ENCORE is helping students because its sparking interest at an early age, and its letting them decide what they want to study, especially before they go to high school and into college”. Brothers Jeremy and Jason Garza, from 7th and 8th grade, respectively, had some moving words to share with the world, “The ENCORE conference was super cool because we got to learn about robotics and like what kinds of jobs there is for that,” Oswaldo Gomez, from 7th grade said, “The ENCORE conference is awesome, it taught me many things and I would like to come back to more sessions.” When asked if ENCORE inspires a college-going culture, Jim Garcia from 8th Grade stated, “Actually, now I want to go to UT and study robotics.”
Many more of these life-changing moments happened at the ENCORE Conference, and it was all concluded with the robotics competition. The students were given some time to build their Bot-Brain robots in teams and then compete against each other in a maze for the grand prize, an iPad. The victors? None other than the brilliant students at Barrientes Middle School from the Edinburg CISD with their snappy winning remarks, “You messed with the best, you lose like the rest!” The three students that won, 7th grader Juan Peña, 8th grader Elyssa Alaniz, and 7th grader Sharon Luna, shared their experiences with us. A very tall and modest Peña started, “It was fun, competitive, and challenging and it made me real nervous seeing others make and test their robots.” A soft spoken Olena said, “I kinda thought I wasn’t going to win because there were a lot of people, imagine you winning in the middle of a lot of schools, kinda impossible to believe it. It was kinda hard, but at the end I was happy because we won.” Finally, Alaniz kept it short and sweet, “We competed against 48 teams and won an iPad, it was awesome!”
The first ever ENCORE Annual Conference was a complete success and exceeded all expectations. The ENCORE team and the college student volunteers from Kappa Sigma, Society of Hispanic Engineers, and The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers worked extremely hard to accomplish this goal and enjoyed the overall experience. Next year, the ENCORE Conference will be even bigger and better!
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa Joins Valley Scholarship Programs To Kick Off SOS Initiative
Edinburg, Texas - U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) along with Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF) and its ENCORE Program kicked off the Sign On for Scholarships (SOS) initiative Monday, March 1, 2010 at the TVCOF offices.
SOS is a program that alerts students about upcoming deadlines to complete their applications for federal financial aid and other scholarship opportunities for college entrance.
"Throughout my entire Congressional career, I have dedicated my time and effort to making higher education more accessible and affordable for our students", said Hinojosa. Educational programs participating are Gear Up, VAMOS, STARS and ENCORE. These educational programs are joining forces in order to get the word out to students and their parents on what scholastic opportunities are available. Hinojosa added, "Making sure students know where to go and who to talk to about finding ways to get into college is so important. "Our students cannot afford anymore missed opportunities to receive a higher education".
During the event, representatives of STARS, VAMOS and Edinburg CISD talked to students and parents about scholarship opportunities and financial aid programs including the application requirements and submission deadlines.
The SOS initiative event will be part of the agenda for the ENCORE Coalition for College Readiness to ensure all students and parents are aware of all available funding opportunities to obtain a college education.