HOUSTON, April 1, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Today Missouri City Chapter of The Links Incorporated joined collaborating partners Aspiring Youth of Houston and Texas Southern University to announce its 8th Annual College for a Day. More than 300 middle school students from six Houston (HISD) and North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) schools are enrolled in the program designed to encourage them to plan and prepare for college.
On campus at Texas Southern University for some hands-on learning opportunities, the students will be hosted by TSU Provost Bobby Wilson, TSU faculty and student leaders Christina Sanders, Student Government President, and Miss TSU Leshelle Sargent. From meteorology to pharmacy, from NASA research engineering to banking -- each student's day will be filled with rich career opportunities in science, math and technology in which minorities are under-represented.
Included in the day's curriculum are two breakout sessions with more than twenty separate career presentations offered each session. After lunch, the students will tour the TSU campus. Later they will participate in the College for a Day graduation ceremonies including special commencement speaker U.S. District Court Judge Vanessa Gilmore.
Local minority leaders and sponsors will provide information and encouragement to the students and will promote the importance of attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities through interaction with some of their students and successful graduates.
"Designed to emphasize to middle school students that college is both desirable and possible," according to Links Incorporated Missouri City Chapter President Evelyn Thornton, Ph.D., "the 8th Annual College for a Day experience will provide students with the information they need to choose appropriate high school curriculum tracks for entrance into a four-year college."
Participating schools include B.C. Elmore, Oak Village and Kirby Middle Schools from NFISD. From HISD the schools are Jackson, Jane Long and Marshall Middle Schools.
Sponsors for the 8th Annual College for a Day include the three collaborative partners Missouri City Chapter of The Links Incorporated, Aspiring Youth of Houston and Texas Southern University. Corporate sponsors include BFI/Allied Waste Company, ExxonMobil Fuels Marketing, Port of Houston Authority, CenterPoint Energy, Gilbreath Communications, the Augusta Group and the Clifford Group.
About Aspiring Youth of Houston
For more than 10 years, Aspiring Youth of Houston has provided innovative, high-quality after-school programs to thousands of at-risk middle school students living in disadvantaged communities. The mission of the organization is "To Prepare At-Risk Youth to Aspire and Attain Success in School and Life." The programming provides young people with an opportunity to participate in a variety of skills and positive experiences that prepare them to succeed in the following areas: academic enhancement, success principles, the arts, teamwork, sportsmanship, and character development. The organization also works to bridge the gap between youth, schools, and the community through the promotion of constructive interaction between youth and positive role models in the community.
About the Missouri City Chapter of the Links, Incorporated
The Missouri City Chapter is a Houston-area affiliate of The Links, Incorporated, an international service organization with a membership of more than 10,000 women of African heritage. With 274 chapters in the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, and around the globe, including the Bahamas, Germany, and South Africa, the organization is committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the identities, culture and economic survival of all people, particularly those of African origin, through cultural, educational and civic programs. Locally, the Missouri City Chapter programs include The Cuney Homes Initiative, with health screenings and monthly food baskets for seniors; provision of neonatal MaaMa Kits for pregnant women in South Africa; Teen Summit: Healthy Choices, a forum for teen voices, and ArtSmart, an introduction to the visual and performing arts with career orientation for middle school students, and College for a Day with Aspiring Youth of Houston.
The Links, Incorporated logo is available at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2499
About Texas Southern University
Since 1947 the primary focus of Texas Southern University (TSU) has been to offer the goal and reward of a college education to deserving students. Today TSU continues to open the doors of educational opportunity for over 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students from across the country and the world. The Texas legislature's designation of TSU as "a special purpose institution of higher education for urban programming" is the foundation for its pedagogic goals. Ascribing to the global implications of its urban mission, the University focuses on high-quality teaching, research, and public service to prepare students for leadership roles in urban communities worldwide. TSU provides baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degree programs in the arts, science, public affairs, education, business, the health sciences, law, pharmacy, and technology. TSU offers the only PhD in Environmental Toxicology in Texas, as well as three other doctoral degrees in education, pharmacy, and law.