LOS takes students to UIC for a tour

On Friday March 28, L.O.S sponsored a tour to UIC.  The students that attended represented four different schools: Catalyst Maria H.S, Argo Community H.S, Pathways H.S, and Richard J. Daley College, and the students’ academic range is from high school freshman to college freshman.

The students were attentive to the admissions presentation in which the presenter informed the students of the enrollment requirements such as the ACT scores, GPA’s, and Financial Aid responsibilities.

The students liked the information that was given to them; specially, because one student is thinking of going into Bio-engineering and UIC has the college that deals with that field.  After the information session, we were given a tour of the campus which lasted approximately forty-five minutes.  The area that all the students liked was the recreation center where there is a three-story rock-climbing wall and a swimming pool with a lazy river.  On a not-so-good note, all the eateries on campus were closed due to spring break; we did not have time to go out to eat lunch anywhere else because the bus pick-up time was close.  Next time we go to tour during spring break, we know to pack our lunch, oh well, lesson learned.

Overall, I believe it was a productive day in which we learned something new.

--Luis Munoz, Higher Education & Job Readiness Coordinator

DREAMers can go to college

There are 1.5 million undocumented students under the age of 18 living in the United States, 65,000 graduate every year, most have lived in the US for most of their lives. One of the major challenges in obtaining a higher education faced by this population is the inability to apply for financial aid. 

On Thursday, February 20, 2014, LOS, in collaboration with Eric Solorio High School, presented a "DREAMers" Financial Aid workshop.  The main speaker was Ms. Leticia Moreno, a Financial Aid Officer from IIT University.

Undocumented students as well as parents were invited to listen to the information on how to successfully ingress into a Higher Education institution.  Ms. Moreno explained the process for enrollment and the different ways to achieve success in regards to acquiring institutional and private scholarships as well as student loans.  

Parents and students were very interested in the information that was provided, because there were many points of interest that the listeners learned.  

Ms. Alejandra Cabrera, from LOS, was also invited to speak on the process of how to apply for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) which should help students maneuver through the job market to find employment.

This workshop was a success, and because of it, more workshops will be presented in the near future.     

--
Luis Muñoz, Higher Education & Job Readiness Coordinator

For more information go to:

Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling 

Pew Hispanic Research Center

Dream Act Portal  

Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund 

National Immigration Law Center

United We Dream

Contact us for more information on our programs. 

The quest for knowledge...

A note from our Higher Education/Job Readiness Coordinator


I am happy to report that this fiscal year has been very successful; we, as an organization, and as a group of students that were part of the college tours, took pride in our quest for knowledge and empowerment.  We took some valuable steps in going on eight college tours to find out what each school offered.  The colleges as well as the campuses differed from one to the next and this is what made them interesting. 

The range of the group of the students’ grades ranged from freshman in high school to sophomore in college and the interests differed from one student to the other.  I would like to think that the students learned how to maneuver through college admissions and financial aid; or at least how to find, and where to find, any necessary help to apply to a higher education institution.

We took our last college tour for the year at The University of Chicago August 21, 2013.  I was very excited that some students were genuinely interested in coming to this tour because it shows resolve and hunger to succeed in life.  The students engaged in the presentation with the admissions officer by asking questions and giving their comments.  We also learned that this is where the first atom was split in 1938 and this is where the first Heisman Trophy was born ; “Known initially as the DAC Trophy, it was first presented to Jay Berwagner, the legendary "one man gang" from the University of Chicago on December 9, 1935”.

One student said that “the best thing about the school is that they cater to students during finals by creating an environment where many learning tools are at the students’ disposition."  The second thing that the student liked was the campus itself.  She liked the combination of the Neo-Gothic with a few of the more modern structures such as the exercise facility and the open green spaces.  The least thing that the student liked, or didn’t like, was the "high price to attend this institution”.

I believe that after these college tour experiences the students have a better understanding of how and where to apply; they have a better rounded idea of how to build their future, and that’s what this program is all about. 

On a personal note, I wish that more students participate in the coming year because the more exposed to knowledge, the better prepared one is to succeed in life.

Thank you all
Luis Alberto Muñoz.
Higher Education Coordinator
For more information on our Higher Education program you can contact Luis at 773/581-1900