Program works to counter low Hispanic attendance
Rachel McDaniel
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: News
SMU is also actively seeking minority students from the local community.
"We have recruiting specifically for minority students," said Kathleen Hayden, visits coordinator at SMU. "We have organizations that are affiliated with local high schools. They go to the schools and host on-campus activities directed at bringing Hispanics to SMU."
Students in the Community Scholars Program receive scholarships that cover about 60 percent of their tuition, Trevino said. The rest comes out of pocket or from student loans or outside scholarships, Trevino said. For most of the community scholars, this scholarship is the difference between coming to TCU and going to Tarrant County College.
"Without my scholarship I would not have been able to attend TCU," Hernandez said. "This program really gives minority students in the community a chance at a future that would not be readily available to them otherwise."
The Community Scholars Program was also the deciding factor for Ibarra.
"The other schools I applied to didn't offer me what TCU offered in scholarships and financial aid," she said.
Showing the local Hispanic high school students attending TCU is an achievable goal is important, and this program helps to do so, Trevino said.
"I think that we have to show the community that TCU is a good school for Hispanic students, meaning we have to have good programs in place, we have to have a good environment for them to feel comfortable in, and we have to show that our alumni are supportive," Trevino said.
The Community Scholars Program is the only program in place that directly aims to bring minority students from FWISD to TCU. The program is aimed at the cream-of-the-crop of high school minority students, excluding many students who don't have good enough grades or test scores.
Trevino said TCU's goal is not to bring in minority students just because they are minorities.
"I don't want to see Hispanic students coming in just for the sake of having Hispanic students coming in," he said. "We need to strive to get the best students to apply and be admitted to and graduate from TCU, regardless of their race."
"We have recruiting specifically for minority students," said Kathleen Hayden, visits coordinator at SMU. "We have organizations that are affiliated with local high schools. They go to the schools and host on-campus activities directed at bringing Hispanics to SMU."
Students in the Community Scholars Program receive scholarships that cover about 60 percent of their tuition, Trevino said. The rest comes out of pocket or from student loans or outside scholarships, Trevino said. For most of the community scholars, this scholarship is the difference between coming to TCU and going to Tarrant County College.
"Without my scholarship I would not have been able to attend TCU," Hernandez said. "This program really gives minority students in the community a chance at a future that would not be readily available to them otherwise."
The Community Scholars Program was also the deciding factor for Ibarra.
"The other schools I applied to didn't offer me what TCU offered in scholarships and financial aid," she said.
Showing the local Hispanic high school students attending TCU is an achievable goal is important, and this program helps to do so, Trevino said.
"I think that we have to show the community that TCU is a good school for Hispanic students, meaning we have to have good programs in place, we have to have a good environment for them to feel comfortable in, and we have to show that our alumni are supportive," Trevino said.
The Community Scholars Program is the only program in place that directly aims to bring minority students from FWISD to TCU. The program is aimed at the cream-of-the-crop of high school minority students, excluding many students who don't have good enough grades or test scores.
Trevino said TCU's goal is not to bring in minority students just because they are minorities.
"I don't want to see Hispanic students coming in just for the sake of having Hispanic students coming in," he said. "We need to strive to get the best students to apply and be admitted to and graduate from TCU, regardless of their race."
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