Yadira Hernandez, a Hastings sophomore, wants to go to college, but she isn't sure where.
She hoped that by attending the Cultural Unity Conference Friday at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, she would gain more insight on higher education and have more information to help her decide on a college major.
"I'm really interested in what they are talking about," she said of the conference speakers.
Stereotyping, paying for college and immigration issues were among the topics 325 high school students from across the state learned about at the conference.
Juan Guzman, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said the purpose of the conference, now in its fifth year, is to promote cultural diversity in higher education.
Aida Recinos, an 11th-grader from Schuyler, attended the conference to learn more about college.
"I'm thinking about going if I can," she said.
She was one of about 25 from her school at the conference. Another was ninth-grader Erik Hernandez, who said he attended to learn more about immigration issues and ways to fund college.
Jerry Key, a 10th-grader from Lincoln, was one of about 70 who came on a charter bus from Lincoln North Star High School.
"I came to learn about college and see what UNK has to offer," he said.
Ana Martinez, a Kearney High School 11th-grader, said she comes to the conference every year.
"I'm interested in learning and hearing guest speakers," she said.
Other years, the conference has "taught us about our culture and the things we have to deal with," she said.
Monica Mueller, a UNK junior from Holdrege, was the chair of the presenters committee for this year's conference. She has been involved with the conference for the last two years.
"It's really fun to get all the high schoolers here," she said.
In the four previous years of the conference, 49 of those who attended as seniors enrolled at UNK.
One of them is Criss Salinas, a UNK sophomore from Schuyler, who co-chaired the event this year with Lincoln junior Daphne Darter.
Salinas had scholarship offers from several schools, including UNK, and is happy with his choice.
He hoped to show others from the high school he attended that they can do well at the university level.
"We want them to know there are more opportunities after high school," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment