About 70 Native American high school students will be working with national admissions representatives and counselors on the River Campus this week as part of College Horizons, a college access and success program hosted by the Office of Admissions.
Students from South Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Washington and other states will work with representatives from colleges such as Brown, Cornell, Duke, Stanford, and Yale.
Founded in 1998, College Horizons is dedicated to increasing the number of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students succeeding in college and graduate programs, through admissions and financial aid workshops. Students are at Rochester through June 30. They’ll complete college essays and resumes and learn test-taking strategies while they also craft lists of schools that align with their values, interests, and financial needs.
The University also hosted College Horizons in 2011.
“It was fantastic being able to have a program here,” says Carmen Lopez, executive director of College Horizons. “We had a memorable experience. We had the run of the campus, and it was easy for us to navigate space. We’re excited to be back.”
Jonathan Burdick, vice provost and dean of College admission, secured Rochester as the 2011 host site after visiting a College Horizons program the year before in Hawaii.
“These ambitious and well-prepared Native high school students come from many tribal identities, including some from Haudenosaunee lands like Rochester,” Burdick says. “Based on our previous experience, living here will not only encourage some of them to consider attending Rochester, but also to become informal ambassadors for us in many distant corners of the country.”
Students visiting Rochester represent more than 30 different nations, including Seneca, Cherokee, Navajo, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
