TOMBALL, TX: It’s never too early to start thinking about attending college. Especially for students who may be the first in their families to even consider it. Daniela Cortez-Guerra knows better than most what it’s like to be the first, and now she’s leading an effort that explains, explores and demystifies preparing for, and going to, college. The Pathway With Purpose Family Summit is a one of its kind information session that offers middle school and high school students and their parents a step by step, how-to guide to college.
The Pathway With Purpose Family Summit on Saturday, May 18, is free to attend and will be held in the Beckendorf Conference Center located on the LSC-Tomball campus. The summit begins with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. with concurrent sessions held in English and Spanish from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Lunch will be served at 11:15 a.m. The presentations will be divided into different tracks for middle, high school and current college students. Participants are asked to register in advance on the Pathway With Purpose Family Summit web page.
“We understand exactly what families need to know to begin this journey together,” said Cortez-Guerra, the summit’s principle organizer and an Outreach Coordinator in the Center for Leadership and Student Success (CLASS). Daniela understands what family’s needs to know because she’s been there. She had supportive parents, but since neither attended college, they didn’t know how to navigate the process of going to college.
“It’s really important to include everyone in this process. Because I was the one doing all my paperwork, all my applications, when really, it was a great opportunity for my parents to learn as well.”
The summit will address three different areas. The first, Getting Prepared, explains the important early steps students and families need to take during high school, leading up to graduation. For example, recommendations on high school course selection, information on dual credit courses, and how to enroll in college. The second presentation, Paying for College, provides valuable advice on ways to save for college and how to apply for financial aid. The third topic, Navigating College, provides information on the support and assistance that’s available on matters like advising and counseling, tutoring and college life and activities. Representatives from LSC-Tomball’s various departments and organizations will be on hand during and after the presentations to answer questions, address concerns and provide details tailored to a student’s specific needs.
Additionally, there will be information about “transfer friendly institutions.” These are colleges that have agreements with LSC-Tomball that help make it easier for students to transfer after graduation to a four year institution. Nearby colleges with transfer agreements include Sam Houston State University and U of H Downtown, however there are many others across the state of Texas.
“We’re very excited about the family summit because of our close connection to the community. It’s a great way to show our community that LSC-Tomball not only supports their students, but we support them as a family by providing this information about the college process,” said Magdalena Mendoza-Starck, the Director of CLASS, a graduate of LSC-Tomball and the first in her family to attend college.
The Family Summit is being held in partnership with LSC-Tomball’s Academic Initiatives and Partnerships (AIP) department. AIP coordinates programs that targets high school students like Early College High Schools, Dual Credit and Home School programs, Pathways, Grit initiatives, Community U, Summer Bridge, The LSC-T Experience, and more.
Daniela sums up by saying the purpose of the family summit is to expose families to college in a way that helps them see it's a real possibility, that it’s within their reach, “These are the three steps that you need to take, the three things that you need to learn about, before starting that journey.” Because it's never too late—and it's never too early— to start that thinking about going to college.
For more information about CLASS, please contact Daniela Cortez-Guerra, 281-655-3613 or visit CLASS online. Lone Star College-Tomball is located at 30555 Tomball Parkway, at the intersection of SH 249 and Zion Road.
Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 99,000 students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. LSC consists of six colleges, 10 centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.