North Carolina College Access Conference
The annual North Carolina College Access Conference provides an opportunity for educators, administrators and counselors from secondary and post-secondary institutions across North Carolina to come together to learn about strategies and programs developed to increase access to college. The goal of the conference is to provide these educators with new tools and innovative methods of reaching the students at their schools to inspire and assist them with their journey to higher education. These sessions deal with various issues and topics related to college access, from reaching out to Hispanic and Latino students to online-college courses in high school. The variety of the sessions contribute to a diverse learning experience. This past February, the conference was held in Greensboro, NC. The three main guests asked to speak at the conference were Ron Clark, founder of the Ron Clark Academy and Disney American Teacher of the Year (2000), Susan Jackson , Vice President and Chief Learning Officer at WakeMed Health & Hospitals, and Nolo Martinez, director of the Center for New North Carolinians. As conference interns, the UNC students working with this project not only assisted the staff of the conference, but attend many of the sessions designed for the conference participants.
For more information on the annual North Carolina College Access Conference, visit https://www1.cfnc.org/Gear_Up/News_Events/Annual_Conference.aspx.
North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals
The mission of the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals is to enhance the integration and cooperation among the Hispanic professionals of North Carolina and concerned individuals and organizations to promote the education of Hispanic students at all levels.
The North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals (NCSHP) was founded to further the work of, to improve the effectiveness of, and to enhance the public understanding of and appreciation for Hispanic professionals in North Carolina. The NCSHP has made a major commitment to build its infrastructure to meet the demands of our growing Hispanic community with respect to its dedicated mission.
For more information on the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals, visit http://www.thencshp.org.
Hoop Dreams
Hoop Dreams Basketball Academy is a nonprofit organization that "provides unique opportunities for children with life-threatening illnesses to develop socially and physically through basketball and other athletic training." Located in Durham, North Carolina, Hoop Dreams provides individual attention to each of its participants and the development which extends far beyond sports. The children served through the program, victims of illness such as cancer diabetes, asthma, and arthritis, "are typically referred through Duke University Medical Center and UNC Hospital." The UNC students working with Hoop Dreams have researched the Disability Services programs for various public and private colleges and universities throughout North Carolina and its surrounding states to further develop Hoop Dreams' College Planning Guide for parents and older kids in the program. The students also volunteered at the Basketball Marathon on March 29, 2008. This is Hoop Dreams' biggest annual fund raiser, and this year through sponsors and individual donations, they have raised over $40,000 for the program.
For more information about the Hoop Dreams organziation, visit http://www.healthhoopshope.org/.
YES I Can
Youth Enrichment Series, Inc. (YES I CAN) is a pre-college enrichment program for students in Grades 3-12 and families focusing on developing and executing faith-based life skills for being successful in the 21 st century. End results include, but are not limited to: graduating from high school, pursuing higher education and/or technical training and the finances to pay for it, becoming gainfully employed and adopting healthy lifestyles. Programming for parents is geared toward teaching them how to identify and utilize available resources that most effectively assist their children and their families in the college readiness, college going and employment-seeking process. The program has a special emphasis on minority/African American and low-income students/families, respectively, from rural communities in the South. Founded by Robyn S. Hadley in 2004, the program began in Children’s Chapel United Church of Christ in Graham, NC. The primary goal was to emphasize the importance of pursuing a college education and the financial aid necessary to secure a college degree, especially given the dramatic changes in the local economy historically driven by low-skilled jobs in agriculture and the textile and furniture manufacturing industries.
In February 2008, UNC first-year sudents went to Graham to spend a day with YESICAN students and parents discussing various aspects of the college-going process. The next month YESICAN students and parents traveled to UNC to spend a day on campus, learning even more from the college first-year students. While the event took place on the UNC campus, the overall program focused on aspects of college that are pertinent to any two year or four year institution of higher education.
Photo left: Founder Robyn S. Hadley.