Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Southern Methodist University and Hispanic College Fund Launch Inaugural Dallas Hispanic Youth Symposium




At-Promise Latino High School Students Empowered to Pursue College, Career

Dallas, TX (June 30, 2009) – Today, almost 200 of the North Texas area’s most promising Hispanic high school students will gather at Southern Methodist University (SMU) to launch Texas’ first-ever Dallas Hispanic Youth Symposium (HYS), a four-day, three-night college access program hosted by the Hispanic College Fund in cooperation with SMU. The symposium will begin with a VIP reception at 3 p.m. and a news conference in the Taubman Atrium of SMU’s Owen Fine Arts Center, at 6106 Bishop Blvd., scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

“The Hispanic Youth Symposium is not only a positive influence on students, but it has the potential to impact the social and economic welfare of the larger Dallas area as well,” said Idalia Fernandez, President of the Hispanic College Fund. “These students are the future workforce of Texas - and that is why we invest in them. We can improve both the diversity and productivity Texas’ workforce by empowering these students to pursue a college education and professional career.”

Mayor Tom Leppert and SMU President, R. Gerald Turner, will speak at the opening news conference and then welcome students as two of the speakers at the Dallas HYS opening ceremonies. Additional news conference and opening ceremony speakers include Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Dr. José Antonio Bowen, Dean of Meadows School of the Arts, George Cushman, Vice President of Programs of the Hispanic College Fund, and Dr. Marcus Martin, President of Education is Freedom. Opening ceremonies begin at 4 p.m. in the Caruth Auditorium of the Owens Fine Arts Center.

During the Hispanic Youth Symposium, students will have the opportunity to connect with Hispanic mentors, attend workshops on college admissions and financial aid, compete for $14,000 in available scholarship funds, and meet with college admissions officers from local schools. The attendees of the Dallas Hispanic Youth Symposium were selected from a competitive admissions pool of more than 500 applicants.

SMU Associate Provost Thomas Tunks said the symposium will have far-reaching effects.

“Hosting the first Hispanic Youth Symposium in Texas is a wonderful opportunity for SMU to support the community and work collaboratively with many community institutions, as well as with the Hispanic College Fund,” Tunks said. “The main beneficiaries, of course, are area young people who attend. But we all benefit from the chance to work together in helping deserving young people get to college. This is our future, and we expect this effort to be ongoing.”

Following the conclusion of the symposium, students will be enrolled in the year-round programming of the Hispanic Youth Institute, which is designed to increase their college knowledge and help them maintain progress towards academic and professional success. The Hispanic Youth Institute also serves as a support system for students’ families by educating them about the college admissions process.

Founded in 2004, the Hispanic Youth Symposium currently serves six cities and 1,600 students across the United States. Of the more than 3,000 alumni of the program, 90 percent have gone on to successfully enroll in college, and 75 percent of those students have majored in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) or business-related fields.

Sponsors of the inaugural Dallas Hispanic Youth Symposium include Southern Methodist University, Southwest Airlines, ARAMARK, the National Nuclear Security Administration, University of Phoenix, ACS, the Social Security Administration, Education is Freedom, FritoLay, Nuevo Leon Restaurant, SMU Upward Bound, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Texas – Arlington, Dallas County Schools, Google, Kaplan K12Learning Service, Pokey O’s and The Axis Agency.

To learn more about the Dallas Hispanic Youth Symposium, visit http://www.hispanicyouth.org/symposium-dallas

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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, the Hispanic College Fund has provided educational, scholarship, and mentoring programs to students throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, establishing a career pipeline of talented and career-driven Hispanics who are trained in the fields of business, science, technology, engineering, 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.

To learn more, visit www.hispanicfund.org

About SMU
A private university located in the heart of Dallas, SMU is building on the vision of its founders, who imagined a distinguished center for learning emerging from the spirit of the city. Today, 11,000 students benefit from the national opportunities and international reach afforded by the quality of SMU's seven degree-granting schools. For more information, visit www.smu.edu