Avanza Reconvenes in El Paso to Promote Higher Education
Avanza Network to Hold 9th Annual Conference as Hispanic Heritage Month Kicks Off - MIT Alumni group to visit over 25 High Schools in Underserved Communities
EL PASO, Texas, September 17, 2024 (Newswire.com) - After a five-year hiatus brought on by the pandemic, the Avanza Network (“Avanza”) organization will gather in El Paso this year for its annual conference beginning Wednesday, September 18, and through Sunday, September 22. The gathering brings together MIT Mexican-American alumni and friends from throughout the U.S. to promote higher education through school visits featuring inspirational stories told by the group’s members. As in past conferences, Avanza also plans to meet with students and their parents in an informal Q&A session held at the University of Texas El Paso. Since its formation in 2011, the group has reached out to and inspired thousands of high school students in cities across the country.
“It is more important now than ever to continue to inspire our youth, particularly those in poor, underprivileged communities similar to the ones many of us grew up in,” stated Jacob Rael, Co-President of Avanza. “Getting in front of kids and showing them that Si Se Puede is sometimes the spark that they need to make them realize anything is possible with hard work, determination and an education.”
“And now that universities have changed their admissions policies after the recent Supreme Court decision against Affirmative Action, it’s crucial that these kids aim high and start to prepare for a higher education early on,” adds Eddie Grado, Co-President of Avanza. “These kids have the grit and smarts to accomplish anything they set their minds to.”
Avanza will also be distributing copies of its Avanza books to schools as part of its annual conference. Avanza has two volumes to its book and both are a compilation of inspiring true stories of several Avanza members and their diverse paths towards a higher education and successful careers. The books are available online at https://bookstore.weeva.com/search?q=avanza.
Avanza Network is a national organization founded by M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Mexican-American alumni and friends who are dedicated to the empowerment and advancement of current and aspiring Mexican-American professionals and members of underserved communities. Through its grass-roots efforts, Avanza stimulates Mexican-Americans and underserved communities to achieve full potential by increasing awareness of the transformational power of a college education, increasing college graduation rates for these groups, emphasizing the benefits of diverse career paths, highlighting the key benefits of STEM careers, and cultivating the group's pipeline of talent through the professional development lifecycle.
For more information on its grass-root outreach efforts, the college application process or other tools for college-bound students, please visit www.avanzanetwork.org or follow MIT Avanza on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Media Contact:
Rene Gonzalez
Director of Communications
Avanza Network
512-809-0863
Source: Avanza Network
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Tags: affirmative action, Avanza, Education for Underserved, Empowerment through Education, higher education