Hundreds of students from the greater Los Angeles area convened at UCLA on Saturday at a conference that aimed to convince black high school students to pursue higher education opportunities at UCLA and other colleges.
The student-produced event, the African Student Union’s 10th Annual Higher Education Conference, sought to show minority students that UCLA wants them to consider the university as one of their options for higher education, said Crystal Thomas, a fourth-year international development studies student who helped organize the event.
“If we don’t tell the students that we want them to attend, our time spent here isn’t worthwhile,” Thomas said in a reference to the low number of black students who matriculated at UCLA last year.
UCLA admitted 249 black students for the fall class of 2006, and this year after UCLA implemented the new holistic admissions process, 392 black students were admitted.
After 100 black students enrolled in this year’s freshman class, UCLA officials and members of the community labeled the situation an “admissions crisis.”
Since last spring, UCLA student groups and community organizations, such as the producers of this event, have initiated more outreach to black students in an effort to encourage them to consider UCLA among their college choices.
Alexis Barnes, a junior at Crenshaw High School, said she enjoyed the mini college fair that took place.
“I met representatives from UCLA, USC, Santa Monica College, and a bunch of Cal States,” Barnes said, adding that each one of them had interested her with their presentations.
The schedule for the event consisted primarily of speakers and workshops, with a musical presentation from the African Art Ensemble.
Kamille Bradley, a fourth-year international development studies student and the other organizer of the event, said the workshops reflected a wide variety of topics.
“The workshops were divided into grade-specific categories, such as SAT preparation for 11th graders and financial aid information for 12th graders,” Bradley said.
Elizabeth Wogian, also a junior at Crenshaw, said she benefited from attending by receiving assistance in preparation for college.
“(The volunteers) went through the UC application and described to us all the requirements and how to write the personal essay,” Wogian said.
Other workshops addressed topics such as study skills and time management and information for black students interested in the medical field.
Volunteers at the event said they hoped the presentations would broaden the horizons of the attendees.
“The higher education conference is another tool we use to open doors for students who are not traditionally given opportunities,” said D’artagnan Scorza, a fifth-year religion student and volunteer at the event.
Scorza added that he hoped the attending students would leave with a positive impression of UCLA.
“The primary goal is to teach (the students) that UCLA is the place for them,” Scorza said.
Gabriel Serrano, a UCLA alumnus, added that he volunteered because he wanted “young high school students to see people just like themselves going through the college experience.”
The keynote speaker at the event was Dr. Toni Chavis, who grew up with an underprivileged background, went to medical school, and now operates health clinics in Compton.
“Dr. Chavis is representative of minority students who have excelled and given back to the community, which is why she’s a great example for these kids,” Bradley said.