Last December, the UT Austin chapter of Advise TX advisers wrapped up a successful year at the College Advising Corps (CAC) Summit held in Boston, Massachusetts. The CAC Summit is an annual professional development conference for the more than 800 advisers in 17 states to share ideas on their efforts to improve college outcomes for low-income, first- generation and underrepresented students.

Throughout the three-day conference, themed “Igniting Your Potential,” members of the UT Austin chapter joined hundreds of their fellow advisers in a number of professional development workshops, speaker events and panel sessions.  Listed below are a few highlights.

Shalom Hernandez of Socorro High School was selected to present a “Summit Story” (one of only six TED-style talks presented during Summit) to all attendees during the summit.

Two sets of UT advisers were selected to present adviser-led workshops during the summit.

Keynote speaker Jose Antonio Vasquez held a private meeting with UT advisers to discuss the state of immigration in Texas. Vasquez is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Emmy Award-winning director-nominated filmmaker, Tony-nominated producer and a leading voice for human rights of immigrants.

Three UT advisers were selected as CAC Fellows and worked throughout the summit.

Flor De la Mora of Del Valle High School was selected as a Research and Evaluation Fellow, Juliann Solis of PSJA Southwest High School was selected as a Curriculum and Training Fellow, and Shalom Hernandez of Socorro High School was selected to serve on the newly created CAC CEO Advisory Council.

Following the summit and the long winter holiday break, UT advisers returned to Austin for a three-day winter training, which included a special lunch meeting with State Representative Donna Howard.

 

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Housed within the Longhorn Center for School Partnerships, Advise TX is part of the national College Advising Corps, the nation’s largest nonprofit college access program designed to increase the number of low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students in their efforts to attend and complete college.  The national College Advising Corps currently incorporates more than 800 college advisers serving through 31 university partners in 17 states, including The University of Texas at Austin.

For a maximum of two years, Advise TX advisers serve students in high schools within 13 school districts in Central Texas, Houston, Dallas, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley.

Visit the Advise TX website for more information or contact Cheryl Sawyer, Advise TX program director, at 512-471-6173, cheryls@austin.utexas.edu.