Categories: General
      Date: Jul 28, 2009
     Title: George Mason University and the Hispanic College Fund Launch Fifth Annual Virginia Hispanic Youth Symposium

Over 200 At-Promise Hispanic High School Students to Receive Education on
College, Career, and Community

FAIRFAX, VA (July 28, 2009) – Over 200 Hispanic students from across Virginia will gather at the George Mason University to launch the fifth annual Virginia Hispanic Youth Symposium, a four-day, three-night college access program hosted by the Hispanic College Fund. Student attendees, who were selected from a competitive admissions pool of nearly 400 applicants, will focus on learning strategies for success related to college, career, and community service, as well as building their self-confidence and the motivation needed to succeed in a professional career.

“Virginia’s Latino students need to know that they can pursue challenging careers in fields like engineering, science and math,” said Idalia Fernandez, President of the Hispanic College Fund, “Our students need access to these high-need fields. Just imagine – ten years from now, one of the students at this year’s Hispanic Youth Symposium might be the scientist to discover a cure for Alzheimer’s or the engineer who designs a car powered by magnetic energy. We want to be the organization that encourages Latinos to pursue these career paths, not just for their personal benefit, but for the benefit of our entire society.”

Local business leaders and public figures will welcome the students during the symposium’s opening ceremonies, including: Fern Barrueta, CEO of the Hispanic College Fund; Alan G. Merten, President of George Mason University; Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO, Hispanic Heritage Foundation; Douglas Garcia, Assistant Secretary of Education, Office of the Governor, Virginia; Maite Arce, Senior Programs and Policy Director, Self Reliance Foundation; Jeffrey Vargas, Chief Learning Officer, National Nuclear Association; Monica Villalta, Director of Diversity Programs, Kaiser Permanente; Sindy Benavides, Director, Community Outreach & Voting, National Democratic Committee; and Dr. Fred Soto, Deputy Director, Office of Diversity and Outreach of the National Nuclear Security Administration.  The opening ceremonies will take place today at 4 p.m. in the Ground Floor Cinema of the George W. Johnson Center at George Mason University.


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.

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 involving them in the college admissions process through regular workshops and ongoing education about scholarships, internships, and college application deadlines.

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, more than 90 percent have gone on to successfully enroll in college.

The Virginia Hispanic Youth Symposium is sponsored by Southwest Airlines, Kaiser Permanente, Lockheed Martin, Dow Corning, Executive Office of the Mayor Office on Latino Affairs, General Dynamics, McDonalds, National Nuclear Security Administration, PNC Bank, University of Phoenix Foundation, Belchtel, Dominion, MedStar Health, The NEA Foundation, State Farm Insurance, The Department of the Treasury, The Centech Group Inc., MeadWestVaco, Richard P. Rome, Washington Gas, United States Department of Agriculture, Google, and Kaplan K12 Learning Services.

Community partners include the United States Social Security Administration and George Mason University.

To learn more about the Virginia Hispanic Youth Symposium, please visit: http://www.hispanicyouth.org/symposium-virginia.

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.

Website: www.hispanicfund.org