The 13th annual Steps to College (STC) University Fair, on February 3, brought over 1,000 students and higher education leaders to Sacramento with the goal of helping high school students and their families navigate the college experience and learn more about their finance options for higher education.
Distinguished colleges and universities in California and Mexico, State of California higher education experts, and nonprofit higher education organizations participated in the largest bilingual and binational university fair in Northern California. The Association for Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) has been a proud sponsor of the event since AICCU worked with the Mexican Consultant to launch the fair in 2010. This year, nearly half of the 43 colleges and universities that attended were AICCU institutions.
AICCU held a presentation about first-time and transfer admission to its institutions. Representatives from Chapman University and Samuel Merritt University provided details about their institutions, including available programs, admission requirements, and student statistics. They also highlighted important application and financial aid deadlines for students interested in attending in the future. AICCU was able to connect with students from Sacramento, Yolo, Amador, San Joaquin, and Los Angeles Counties.
“We had one father who came up to us and said that our presentation alone was worth the trip from Gilroy to Sacramento— that’s almost a one-way, three-hour drive,” said Susan Reyes, advocacy manager at AICCU. “He told us he had no idea independent colleges offered so much financial aid. His daughter is now interested in attending Chapman University after learning about its mission-driven institutional grants.”
STC is a joint project of the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento, the California Student Aid Commission, Cien Amigos, and the Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California, as well as participating public and private institutions. The annual event has helped more than 15,000 students access key resources such as hands-on assistance with FAFSA and the California Dream Act Application, legal consultations, parent education, among others, to obtain access to higher education.
Waldo Nava, a parent who attended the event, told Telemundo 33, “I think every parent’s dream is that their child graduates from university. I only completed elementary school in Mexico and to see my daughter accomplish this is something really special.”
Iriel Nava, a student, also spoke to Telemundo 33, saying, “I feel honored and proud that I can fulfill my parents’ dreams, in other words, to obtain a great higher education.”
SOURCE: Telemundo 33