Our Transfer Motivational Conference is designed to introduce community college students to university life experiences and to motivate them to transfer to a four-year university. Only fifteen percent of Latinos in the US have a Bachelor’s degree and four percent have an advanced degree. When looking at African Americans, only twenty-two percent have a Bachelor’s degree and six percent have an advanced degree. For these figures to improve, transferring to a four-year University is crucial to the Latino and African American communities. The same urgency applies to other first generation underserved students in Texas.

Traditionally our students participate in a summer conference at Texas’ flagship campus, the University of Texas in Austin. This offers them the unique opportunity to have an on-campus experience complete with a stay in a dormitory and food in the cafeteria. While it is our hope that we will soon return to campus, we are offering two virtual conferences instead which will include a virtual campus tour.

Our virtual conferences will still enable the students to gain insight from university representatives and guest speakers on topics such as the admissions processes, financial aid, university transfer resources, financial literacy, and career planning as they network with other CTN students from across the state. Students will be inspired by motivational speakers and our program alumni who have overcome obstacles and succeeded. Alumni will answer student questions and have meaningful discussions in virtual breakout rooms which offer an intimacy not found in the larger conference setting.

OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of this conference are to bring together Catch the Next- Ascender students in a collaborative environment to gain insight from university representatives on topics such as:

• Learn about the University Admissions processes
• Learn about time management and study skills 
• Learn about the University Financial Aid processes
• Learn about the transferring of credits from community college to a university
• Learn about career planning and opportunites
• Learn about housing options