Access Reports
"Paying for College" Bus Tour hits the road 2006–07
Kathleen deLaski and Clemente High School
principal Leonard Kenebrew present a $1,000
scholarship to Mariluz Nunez at the Chicago launch
of The Sallie Mae Fund's national "Paying for
College" Bus Tour.
In September, The Sallie Mae Fund once again began making its journey to cities and towns across the country to spread the word on higher education.
The fall component of the Bus Tour got underway Sept. 12, with its first stop in Chicago. Fifty workshops in 19 eastern cities were included as the first leg of the tour. In spring 2007, visits are scheduled for roughly 35 cities in California, Texas, and the western states.
The "Paying for College" Bus Tour is The Sallie Mae Fund's coast-to-coast campaign to help Latino youth capitalize on their higher education opportunities. Last year, "Paying for College" representatives and others interacted with nearly 45,000 students and families. Since 2004, more than 65,000 Latinos nationwide have been reached through the "Paying for College" Bus Tour. In addition, more than $225,000 in scholarships has been distributed.
As with previous Bus Tours, each stop of the 2006–07 "Paying for College" Bus Tour features "Paying for College" workshops in which free planning and paying for college materials in English and Spanish are distributed, as well as a scholarship at each session. In addition, the tour bus serves as a "traveling higher education counseling center," complete with a reference area and computer terminals to allow visitors to search for scholarships, sign up for a FAFSA PIN, or research colleges and universities.
A unique aspect of this year's tour is MTV Tr3s Voces (Voices)—an interactive program of MTV's bilingual network, MTV Tr3s—Youth Venture, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Council of La Raza, designed to highlight education dreams and obstacles of Hispanic teens in their own words.
"MTV Tr3s is proud to partner with The Sallie Mae Fund to help Latino youth express their education voice," said Lucia Ballas-Trayor, senior vice president and general manager of MTV Tr3s. "Through the collective efforts of the 'Paying for College' Bus Tour and our own MTV Tr3s Voces campaign, Latino youth will be empowered to get the most out of their education, prepare for high school graduation, explore college options, and effect changes in their communities."
How colleges, universities, and others can help
Higher education institutions are an integral part in helping to broadcast the Tour's "college is possible" message. Among the opportunities for involvement:
- Serve as a financial aid expert at "Paying for College" workshops and community events: Financial aid counselors are an invaluable resource when it comes to providing tips about the college process, answering financial aid questions from parents and students, and speaking about state financial aid and admissions entrance requirements. They also can offer information about undocumented students and their opportunities in the state. (A professional interpreter is on-hand at each public workshop for those who are not fluent in Spanish.)
- Help organize a Bus Tour event in your city: Local partners such as school districts, Latino community-based organizations, and colleges and universities are instrumental in identifying the Latino communities in most need of information for planning and paying for college, securing the best venue to host the workshops (e.g., a high school, community center, library), and identifying other local partners. All costs associated with the Tour's "Paying for College" workshops and community events are covered by The Sallie Mae Fund.
- Be a resource for students in your city once the Bus Tour leaves town: Students typically have more questions about planning and paying for college as they continue to learn about the process. The Fund wants to ensure that these students are steered to appropriate local resources, including members of community-based organizations, representatives, and financial aid advisors from their local colleges and universities, as well as their high school guidance and career counselors. By serving as a point person, students will feel that they have an expert to rely on long after the bus is gone.
"For all Americans, not just Latinos, education is the ticket to economic success and personal fulfillment. However, for those without the knowledge of how to pay for it, the doors to higher education are not easily opened," said Kathleen deLaski, president of The Sallie Mae Fund. "Our tour sends the Latino community the message that a college education is not only valuable, but also within their reach. By providing workshops, materials, and scholarships and identifying additional resources in the community, we attempt to bridge the information gap for any family who dreams of college."
For more information on serving as a financial aid expert, organizing Bus Tour events, or promoting the events taking place in your community, please contact Mari Canizales, senior program manager with The Sallie Mae Fund, at 703-984-5222 or mari.canizales@thesalliemaefund.org.
