Cassidy Diaz
Staff Writer
The University of La Verne and the National College Resources Foundation collaborated to host the Latino College Expo on campus Saturday at Sneaky Park among other locations on the La Verne campus.
Roughly 7,000 in all attended the event, which hosted representatives from more than 50 colleges and universities across the state, including Cal Poly Humbleboldt, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Monterey Bay, Mount Saint Mary’s, UC Berkeley, USC, and many more.
Various ULV departments and groups held booths for students attending the expo including Housing and Residential Life, Undergraduate Admissions, the College of Business and more. Student organizations also participated with over 85 volunteers selling baked goods, stickers and agua frescas. A live Mexican band, Maná, also performed.
Prospective students and families attended to learn about the various colleges, scholarships and other resources available to them.
“This generation of students want things that are fun,” said Paige Piontkowsky, assistant vice president of enrollment management. “So we did temporary tattoos that said ‘First Gen’ and ‘Yo Soy ULV,’ and we put tinsel in peoples hair.”
Piontkowsky said her department worked closely with the National College Resources Foundation and the participating colleges on the event.
The event brought 225 on-the-spot admissions to the University of La Verne, for which High school students who brought their transcripts could meet with admissions counselors and could be admitted based on their high school GPAs.
The University shared various resources available to all students including the career center, the veteran’s center and the Academic Success Center.
“When we look at our political climate today, especially here in Southern California, it is a challenge for students knowing that there is some distrust with education,” Jose Jimenez, director of undergraduate admission, said. “And giving students an opportunity to open all the doors is why education is extremely important now more than ever.”
“Seeing the families and students come through, they are so happy and excited about their future,” said Alaina Dunn, vice president of enrollment management. “They never heard of La Verne before so I get to introduce them to La Verne and our beautiful campus.”
The National College Resources Foundation, which was started in 1999, serves underrepresented and underserved students and their communities. NCRF provides programs for resources, guidance and information to empower students to achieve higher education in areas that fit their interests and career goals.
Corporate sponsors offering scholarships included the Southern California Gas Company, Comerica Bank, U.S. Bank and Southern California Edison.
Cassidy Diaz can be reached at cassidy.diazgomez@laverne.edu.
Cassidy Diaz is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. She is also news editor for the Campus Times, and previously served as an assistant editor and a staff writer.
