The Lone Star College-North Harris office of Student Outreach and Recruitment (S.O.A.R.), along with the college’s Filipino Young Professionals (FYP) group, will host a four-part educational series from September through December. The events are designed to create a talent pipeline for leadership and success among Filipino youth in the Aldine, Klein and Spring ISDs.

The PATAK Youth and Parent Educational series is open to the first 50 students, and their parents, who can commit to attending all four of the event’s free workshops. PATAK, which means drip or drop in Tagalog, is also an acronym for the event’s theme of Pilipino Americans, Taasan Ating Kabataan or Filipino Americans, Uplift Our Youth.

“We expect PATAK to provide drops of knowledge about educational, career and life choices to the area’s Filipino youth,” said Patlindsay Catalla, a recruitment specialist at LSC-North Harris and one of the event’s organizers. "Although Filipino Americans will be the largest Asian American ethnic population in the United States by 2010, there is a lack of educational and cultural resources focusing on their success, which is why we designed an event specifically to address this need."

Many Filipino parents have attended higher education institutes in the Philippines, however their children are often the first in their families to go to college in America. The disparity in college education and culture between the Philippines and America creates a gap for Filipino-American youth.
“The traditional Filipino community does not usually embrace the term ‘first generation student’ because it is seen as having a negative connotation to their family status. The result is that many Filipino American youth and parents are unaware of the necessary resources to educationally succeed,” said Catalla.

In an attempt to provide the critical support these students need and also educate their parents on the resources available, PATAK will feature four free Saturday workshops:

The first workshop, Filipino American Cultural Identity will be held on Sept. 11 in the room 126 of the LSC-North Harris Academic building. Presenters will discuss what it means to be Filipino in America and will introduce participants to the program’s Ate/Kuya (Big Sister/Big Brother) Mentoring Program, which will match up youth’s career goals with Filipino Young Professionals in similar work industries and interests.

On Oct. 9, also in ACAD-126, PATAK will offer College 101, Financing College, Career Pathways offers an overview of the steps to preparing for college and also the financial aid opportunities available.

PATAK will also include a Team-based community service project designed to impact greater Houston. The project and date, which has not yet been chosen, will take place in early November.

The final event will be a PATAK Graduation Reception on Dec. 4 will take place at LSC-North Harris on the second floor of the Student Center. The semi-formal reception will celebrate and wrap-up the entire series. 

Any student who attends three of the four PATAK events, and plans to enroll at LSC-North Harris for the spring or summer 2011 semester, will also be eligible for a scholarship drawing to be held at the graduation reception.

Any Aldine, Klein or Spring ISD student needing more information or interested in registering for the PATAK series can do so online at patakseries.blogspot.com, or by calling 281.765.7980.

Filipino American volunteers and mentors are also needed for the event. They must be over the age of 21 and in any career industry. Those interested in volunteering should visit the web site or call for more information.

Lone Star College-North Harris is located at 2700 W.W. Thorne Drive, one-half mile south of FM 1960 East, between Aldine-Westfield and Hardy Roads. For more information about the college, call 281.618.5400 or visit LoneStar.edu/NorthHarris.

With more than 62,000 students in credit classes in spring 2010, and a total enrollment of nearly 85,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and the second largest and the fastest-growing community college system in Texas. LSCS consists of five colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers, LSC-University Park, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.

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