April E news 2017

Dream Catchers- Newsletter

April 2017 - Volume 5, No.11

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who take at least one remedial course, 28 percent go on to complete a college credential within 8.5 years (Attewell,
Lavin, Domina, & Levey, 2006).

The Community College Research Center says that of the 33 percent of community college students who transfer to
four-year colleges, 42 percent complete a bachelor’s degree within six years. In other words, 14 percent of the entire
cohort of entering community college students earns a bachelor's degree within six years (Jenkins & Fink, 2016).

For students who graduated from Texas Community Colleges, the average time to complete an associate degree was
5 years for part-time students and 4.5 years for full-time students. (RTI International: "The Completion Arch," 2016)

CTN Students: Beating the Odds

While the effort to earn a bachelor's degree in any amount of time is commendable, six to 8.5 years equals a
substantial amount of time and money. As the data above shows, students who begin college in remedial classes
tend to take even longer. Included in that data is the possibility of taking 4.5 to five years to earn an associate's
degree. In 2014, the average cost for tuition at a community college was $2,394 (education.costhelper.com)
Financially, there is a definite incentive to graduate sooner. Catch the Next is committed to helping students
reach their goals of transferring and earning a degree, perhaps saving money along the way.

Catch the Next would like to honor four alumni who
have, or are, on track to beating the odds. All of these
students started their college journey at Palo Alto
College in CTN remedial classes. All finished their
associate's in three years or less. Juan, Edward and
Rosalio have transferred and are now attending
universities. Veronica completed her bachelor's degree in
a year and a half, and is now studying for her LSAT.
(See bios next page) These four students recently served
on a panel responding to questions about their experience
as Dream Catchers at the Acceleration Institute in Round
Rock. (see story next page)

(L-R) R. Ramirez, E. Rodriguez, V. Gonzalez and J. Higa
at the Acceleration Institute in Round Rock

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Meet Catch The Next Alumni Panelists

Veronica Gonzalez
Veronica Gonzalez is a twenty-seven-year-old wife and mother of two, who earned her GED while staying at
home with her two children. She began her college career in August 2013 at Palo Alto College and served as
treasurer of the Dream Catcher Club for 2014. She graduated with honors, as a member of the Dream Catcher
Program as well as Phi Theta Kappa, on May 16, 2015, receiving an Associate of Arts degree in Political
Science. Veronica began attending Texas A&M - San Antonio in August 2015 and became an inducted member
of the National Society of Leadership and Success. She graduated with honors from A&M on December 10,
2016, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Veronica is currently studying for the LSAT
with plans to begin attending St. Mary’s School of Law in August 2017. Her life goals are to become an
attorney, then a children’s court judge, and to eventually open a children’s home to serve the abused and
neglected children of San Antonio and surrounding areas.

Edward Rodriguez
Edward Rodriguez graduated from South San High School in 2010 and is a first generation college student. He
started CTN classes at Palo Alto College in 2013 and became president of the Dream Catchers Club in 2014. He
has become a higher education advocate for the Southside of San Antonio. Through his advocacy, he inspired
and motivated his sister and father to attend college. In 2016, he transferred to Texas A&M University San
Antonio with plans to work in the field of biology upon graduation.

Rosalio Ramirez
Rosalio Ramirez is a first generation college student who graduated in 2014 from East Central High School. He
enrolled in classes at PAC, including the Dream Catcher INRW class, for the 2014 fall semester. Rosalio was
vice- president of the Dream Catchers Club in 2015 and a member of the Honors Society. He graduated in
2016 and now attends Texas State University with the intention of earning a degree in criminal justice.

Juan Higa
Juan Jose Higa is a first generation college student who graduated from South San High School in 2011. He
enrolled at PAC in 2012 taking the CTN/ Puente class to improve his English writing skills. Juan struggled and
lacked writing and communication skills due to English being his second language. The Puente English courses
assisted him in improving his skills. After being successful in the CTN/ Puente program, Juan came back to
recruit students for future cohorts in an effort to help students gain the type of help he was able to receive. For
2013-2014 he was vice president of the Dream Catcher Club and was able to fly to the University of California at
San Diego to research how to create a Transfer Motivational Conference in Texas. Juan was also secretary for
PAC's Student Government Association in 2014 and vice president in 2014-2015. After being successful in the
CTN/ Puente program, Juan came back to recruit students for future cohorts in an effort to help students gain
the type of help he was able to receive. Juan graduated in 2015 and transferred to the University of Texas at
San Antonio where he majors in public administration. He plans to get his masters in educational leadership and
work for a community college or university in advising or student relations.
One of Juan’s biggest achievements has been motivating his younger brother, Bryant Higa, to join Puente in
2015 and to also become a Puente Club officer.

CTN Alumni and Instructors Present at Acceleration Conference

Dolores Zapata (Palo Alto College) and Esmeralda Macias (South Texas College), along with a panel of alumni
from PAC which included Veronica Gonzalez, Juan Higa, Rosalio Ramirez, and Edward Rodriguez , presented

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at the Acceleration Institute in Round Rock on April 6-7. The institute is part of the Texas Success Initiative
Professional Development Program, funded by a grant from the Texas Higher Education College Board. The
goal of the institute was to provide technical assistance and professional development on various acceleration
strategies.
The CTN session was titled "Puente and INRW: Developmental Education and Cultural Relevancy." It covered
the history of CTN/Puente and how the program operates at each campus. Examples for each component from
the respective colleges were provided through a slideshow presentation. At the end, Zapata and Macias
facilitated a reading activity with the attendees.
According to Dolores Zapata, the audience was " highly engaged and responsive to our questions. Some of the
conversation was very personal. This perhaps was most profound for me."
"I know the audience really understood the impact the program had on the students based on the questions and
answers they all had," added Esmeralda Macias. Panelist Veronica Gonzalez said that she was "excited
about being asked to speak about the impact that Catch the Next has had on my success."

Esmeralda Macias and Dolores Zapata The audience participates in a reading activity led by E. Macias.

EPCC Student Defends Enhanced Honors Report

El Paso Community College student, Michelle Rascón, presented and defended her Enhanced Honors report on
the flu vaccine. She integrated scholarly and news
sources to offer information on whether the flu
vaccine works, how it works, and what its
drawbacks are. She defended her essay by
presenting a PowerPoint in front of a committee of
three outside faculty who asked her questions
about her claim. Her defending her essay is what
makes this Honors project “Enhanced.”

Michelle Rascon, next to instructor Jorge Gomez,
displays her award.

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ACC Dream Catchers Tour Texas State University

by CTN intern Cloe Llanos
Austin Community College Dream Catchers took a tour of Texas State University in San Marcos on Thursday,
April 20. The coordinator, Alejandra, got a charter bus and picked most of the cohort up from the Riverside
campus before picking up some students from Hays. Texas State is a gorgeous campus and students had plenty
of time to do the tour with some extra time to roam around on their own. A few students visited the recreational
center where they saw art and a rock wall. The tour guide allowed them to look in on a few classrooms and
walked them around campus after a presentation about what they would need in order to transfer. A majority of
the students are looking into transferring to this university. One of the Dream Catchers, Christovar, expressed
his excitement at this wonderful opportunity and said he “felt at home on this campus.” He is hoping to begin
the transfer process to Texas State next year.

ACC students tour the Texas State University campus on April 20.

Dream Catchers Sell Elote at PACfest

Palo Alto College's Dream Catchers volunteered at PACfest, an annual festival on campus that is held during
Fiesta in San Antonio. The Dream Catcher's booth sold elote (corn in a cup) as a fundraiser and the musical
performer was Fito Olivares. The festival was on April 27 and lasted from 9am to 9pm.

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Eastfield Dream Catchers Tour UNT-D

by CTN Intern Brandan Rodriguez

The EFC Dream Catchers met bright and early in Professor Preston’s class before heading down to the van where
the OSER (Office of Student Engagement and Retention) leaders were waiting to take them to the UNT Dallas
campus. After arriving, they were a given a virtual tour of the campus including history, student life, events, offered
resources, and the construction site of new dormitories, which are projected to open in Fall 2017.

As a way to interact with the campus, Dr. Horton designed a task with a limit of ten minutes, requiring teams to
collect at least three shots: one of the
important features on campus, one
interview of a student on campus about
their major plus a mini-review of UNT
Dallas, and at least one selfie. (The photo
narrative winner would be announced the
next evening at Noche de Familia.)

After the photo story competition,
Eastfield’s OSER team catered lunch with
enough for nine UNT Dallas Dream
Catchers to join them. The Dream
Catchers interacted with each other with a facilitated discussion, instructors asking the UNT-D DCers questions
about what they wish they had known before starting their second semester at the university. This was good advice
for Eastfield students since they will be going there next semester. The UNT-D DCers pointed out the significance
of being organized, using the free resources that the campus offers, peer reviewing, outlining papers before writing,
and talking about how they kept a balance between college and personal life.
Dr. Horton decided to flip the script, then, switching to the EFC DCers' viewpoint. She asked what the most difficult
challenges for them to overcome in college were. They all had one major problem, time management. The UNT-D
DCers and even Professor Preston all admitted they faced the same challenge, but Prof. Preston told us
them how she goes toe-to-toe with procrastination: arranging deadlines ahead of the date and time with reminder
alarms in her phone, like setting morning wake up an hour early. Also one of the UNT-D DCers said he started doing
that to finish his assignments at the university and stagger his workload. Another said his technique to removing
deadlines is to set a day every week to focus only on homework, nothing else, so that for the rest of the week he
would have more free time.

“Being a Dream Catcher at UNT-D, the program
benefited me in being able to share what we know
with others about our classes. We also support and
lift each other, to assist one another in our dreams
and help with college when studying for current
classes,” said Alexis Morrison.
Visiting the University of North Dallas was a great
opportunity for the students to interact and reflect
on the experiences they find in college, not just
with their same familia but also outside the
schoolhouse walls. Before saying farewells, they
shared contact information with UNT-D DCers,
knowing there is a larger familia on the other side
of the bridge.

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UNTD and Eastfield College Dream Catchers Enjoy Movie Night

by CTN Intern Esther Barrera

Professor Amanda Preston organized a movie night at UNT Dallas; however, it was not only for UNTD Dream
Catchers. Some of the East Field Community College
Dream Catchers participated as well. “It was a great
opportunity to socialize with peers from campus and to get
to meet Dream Catchers from a different school,” said
UNTD Dream Catcher Isaiah Smith. After about an hour of
socializing, it was movie time.
The film that the students watched was The Matrix, a 1999
film that covers the adventure of a hacker as he discovers a
new world. “Most people have seen this movie, but this was
my first time watching it,” a UNTD Dream Catcher said.
During the movie the UNTD and Eastfield students enjoyed
a variety of pizza as a snack.

South Texas College Dream Catchers Help With Registration

Club members helped Ms. Cindy Y. Marroquin
(Dream Catcher Student Success Specialist) recruit
for Summer II and Fall 2017 terms. Various local
high schools' students, including Rio Grande City
High School, were brought to STC Starr Campus to
tour the campus and register for summer and fall
courses. The Dream Catchers Club members
assisted Ms. Marroquin by passing out brochures
and student profiles to future students.

Back (L to R): Ezequiel Garza, Ricardo Garcia, Cindy
Y. Marroquin, and Orlando Garcia. Front (L to R):
Eulogio Torres, Adolfo Pecina, and Juan Robles.

Eastfield Student, Brandan Rodriguez, Joins CTN Internship Program

Brandan Rodriguez, a freshmen at Eastfield College, was born and raised in Dallas.
He is the first person in his family to attend college. Brandan is passionate about
aiding people and helping them grow; when seeing a person with a flat tire, he is
willingly lend a hand, even though his time is limited. He seeks to help others for
pleasure rather than trying to make a reputation.
When no tat in his studies or work, he enjoys spending quality time with his family or
friends, going out to random spots, but mostly outdoor areas since he is always under
a roof. For leisure, repairing or customizing cars is his hobby when visiting his uncle
in his body shop. Also, he is always thrilled about learning new concepts, especially
regarding topics related to computers.

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Currently, to fulfill his goal, he is pursuing work in the field of cyber security because most people use the
internet every day, making their personal information vulnerable. He is committed to every opportunity within
his abilities to strengthen his performance at school, work, and even in his relationships.

Dan Rodriguez and Irma Camacho Visit Lee College

Dr. Daniel Rodriguez, Professor of EDUC, Palo Alto College and Ms. Irma Camacho, Education Instructor,
Vista Verde Campus conducted a site visit at Lee College on April 5 and 6. They visited with Puente/CTN
program Coordinator Victoria Marron and meet with the administration, Lee College President, Dr. Dennis
Brown and De De Griffith, Vice President of Learning. They also met with Sara Steinkopf, Advisor-HSI/STEM
and EDUC Instructor, Rick Vaughan, Data Analyst, Orlando Lara, English Instructor and Jose Aparicio,
English and Humanities Instructor.
Dr. Rodriguez was impressed with the professionalism displayed by employees working with the CTN
Program. "They all work really well with one another, everyone knows their role, but also they all support one
another. The program is really a team effort, " he said. He also commented on the students in the program,
"They show drive and initiative. Their stories are compelling, especially when they share the obstacles they
have had to overcome to be sitting in the classroom. In spite of the obstacles, they are committed to completing
their education. There’s a lot of positive energy among the students and a belief that faculty, staff and
administrators are really there to help them succeed."

Steinkopf, Marron, and Rodriguez Students in HUMD1305 class Students in Aparicio's ENGL 1301 class

Welcome August Josef: Newest
Addition to CTN's Familia

August Josef Villarreal was born on May 5,
shortly after CTN's Spring Institute. He
weighed 5.8 lbs and was 18.5 inches in

length. August's mom is Allegra Villarreal,
CTN's Director of Professional Development
and Austin Community College instructor.

Congratulations to the Villarreal family!

STC Instructor E. Macias Receives Certificate for Training

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Esmeralda Macias, CTN instructor from South Texas College, was selected to go through the NEFA (New and
Enhanced Faculty Advising) training. Each person was recognized for taking this training at a Certificate

Ceremony last Thursday at STC Pecan Campus. Esmeralda also becomes
a faculty advisor for her specific department. "I saw this as a great
opportunity to learn how to better serve and advice all of our students,"
Esmeralda said.

Esmeralda Macias (middle) poses with STC President Dr. Shirley Reed and
STC Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Anahid Petrosian.

Singh and Doran Present
Dream Catcher Session at Conferences

Anupma Singh along with Dr. Erin Doran, both from Iowa State
University, presented a session titled "Dream Catchers: Promoting
Persistence and Transfer in Texas Community Colleges" at the
Council for the Studies at Community Colleges Conference in Texas
and the Latino Initiative Conference in Iowa. Both presentations
were appreciated by the audience.

Teaching and Learning for Student Success Webinars

Save the Date: Thursday, May 18th at 3:00pm (CST) for the May Teaching and Learning
for Student Success Monthly Webinar with Transfer Motivational Conference Alumni!

If you have not already registered for the webinar series, you may do so by following this link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4371867515740868353
After registration, you will receive a confirmation email with further instructions.
For those who have already registered for previous webinars, there is no need to register again. You will receive
reminder emails with your log-on information and instructions.
Did You Miss Any Fall Webinars? Subscribe to our channel and view the videos for all of the fall 2016
webinars here. Spanning the range of topics from financial literacy to the impact of consistent and sustained
professional development to a transfer students’ declaration of rights, the fall webinar series offers thought-
provoking, critical presentations for all Dream Catchers practitioners and supporters.
Have an Idea for a Webinar? If there is a topic you would like to know more about or there is a peer mentor
you would like to hear more from, please send your ideas and feedback to Lydia French at
[email protected].

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April Webinar Presenters Share Experiences as Poets

Celebrating National Poetry Month, our April webinar featured the poetic talents of a few of the poets in San
Antonio’s Voces Cósmicas, including: Jácinto Jesus Cardona, slam poet Intre, Suzanne Green, and Fernando
Esteban Flores. After a round of scintillating readings, the poets held a roundtable entertaining questions about
the role of poetry in teaching students the importance of writing and literacy. Cardona and Flores both spoke
from their experiences as teachers about how to communicate and convey to students the sheer pleasure of the
language that is all around them. Green spoke of her experiences with writing coming from a professional
background in geology and composing technical pieces to leaving brief “surprise” poems in coffee shops for
guests. And Intre spoke on the power of slam poetry and the differences and similarities between slam and
traditional poetry.
Intre’s work can be found on Pandora, and all can be found on Facebook and the web. Flores’s website is
madwarbler.com. As all have expressed an interest in becoming author mentors, we hope to see and hear much
more of Voces Cósmicas at CTN events and programming in the future. For those who missed the April
webinar, stay tuned for the posting of the webinar video on CTN’s YouTube channel.

CTN Publishes Journal of Ideas and Pedagogy

Catch the Next is pleased to announce the online publication of the long-awaited Catch the Next Journal of
Ideas and Pedagogy. The inaugural issue features the work of scholar mentors, CTN practitioners, and newly-
published poets.
We are currently accepting submissions of theoretical, data-driven, and narrative scholarly articles, book
reviews, creative pieces, and interviews. See the Call for Papers and Submission Guidelines for more details;
please submit by September 1st, 2017 for consideration for the second issue.
Any questions regarding the journal can be submitted to Lydia French at [email protected].

Dates for 2017

Professional Development is at the core of all Catch the Next efforts. All staff involved with the program as
Teachers, Counselors and or Mentors participate in training events (year-round) starting with the Summer
Institute.

Summer Institute: June 5-9. UT Austin

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The foundational institute is an intensive five-day workshop where participants are introduced to Catch the
Next’s Campaign for College Completion and the Dream Catchers Program based on the award winning Puente
Project based at UC Berkeley. In this experiential training, participants gain an understanding not only of the
mission, model and outcomes of the program but also come away with insight into how a Dream Catchers
classroom differs from a traditional class, and thus what makes the model so effective.

Dream Catchers Motivational Conference: June 9 -10. UT Austin

The Dream Catchers Transfer Motivational Conference is designed to motivate students to complete college.
Our goal is to encourage students to transfer to a University to complete a Bachelors or Advance degree. Our
goal is to increase the educational attainment of Latinos, African Americans, Natives and first generation
student, given their low level of graduation rates.

Fall Institute: October 24-26, San Antonio Riverwalk

Fall: Teamwork and Troubleshooting

The Fall Institute is a two-day workshop convened in October that
focuses on strengthening the college teams and giving participants the
opportunity to troubleshoot issues they face at this stage in the program.
This institute takes place after site visits have occurred and is always
responsive to the needs of the current cohort. Sessions are offered to
address issues in retention, team dynamics, event coordination, advising
and mentor engagement among other topics.

CTN Seeks Nominations for John Siceloff Journalism Internships

Catch the Next is asking for nominations for two interns per campus for the John Siceloff Journalism
Internship. The internship is for outstanding English Composition 1 students and offers them an opportunity to
learn about journalism and serve as reporters for our monthly digital newsletter. Interns will receive a stipend
of $50.00 per month. Student interns will be under the supervision of Ms. Debra McBeath, who serves as
editor of the monthly Dream Catchers' newsletter and publisher, Dr. Chavez. The reporter covers a campus
news "beat"( Dream Catchers-- students, staff, and events) and produces content for publication on Facebook
and the digital Catch the Next newsletter. Send nominations to : [email protected]

THECB Launches Website with Resources for 60x30TX Goals

Today, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board launched 60x30TX.com, a consumer-friendly website
that provides snapshots of data to key audiences, including legislators and their staff, media, students and
families, business and industry, and chambers of commerce. The new website offers hot topics, infographics,
event information, videos, and many other downloadable resources. The website also features interactive data
for each of the four student-centered 60x30TX goals that are focused on an educated population, completion,
marketable skills, and student debt. The overarching goal of the 60x30TX plan is to strive for an educated
population where 60 percent of the young adults ages 25-34 have a postsecondary credential.

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"Texas cannot achieve the 60x30TX goals by doing business as usual. We must collaborate among a range of
stakeholders to innovate, developing creative ideas about how to address higher education needs for the success
of the state and all Texans," said Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund A. Paredes. "60x30TX is student-
centered, data-driven, and future-focused. Our successes will be a source of pride as the data are highlighted on
our 60x30TX.com and accountability websites. As we move toward 2030, we will be able to look back and say
we did some extraordinary things for the young people and the future of Texas."
Educational improvement in Texas has been steady over the past 15 years, and the 60x30TX plan is intended to
accelerate the pace of improvements. With its easily accessible data, 60x30TX.com provides an overview of
where we are as a state in achieving the 60x30TX goals. It also offers quick navigation to the Coordinating
Board’s redesigned accountability website that provides in-depth data.
Since 2004, the Coordinating Board has provided a comprehensive system of accountability to "provide the
citizens of Texas, the Governor, and the Legislature with the information necessary to determine the
effectiveness and quality of the education students receive at individual institutions" of higher education. The
redesigned accountability system interface is streamlined to provide clear, user-friendly data comparisons and
evaluation of key 60x30TX measures.
Success will require bold action and the commitment and creativity of business, civic, and education leaders
across the state. 60x30TX.com provides stakeholders with the resources to engage and innovate to successfully
achieve the goals of 60x30TX.

NCCMC Opens Registration for 3rd Annual Working Group Meeting

The National Consortium on College Men of Color (NCCMC) would like to invite you to our 3rd Annual
Working Group Meeting. The working group meeting will include discussions on institutional capacity building
and the development of strategic plans that advance success for men of color in community colleges. This
working group meeting will take place in San Diego, CA on June 8-9, 2017.
For more information regarding registration cost, lodging, ground transportation, schedule at-a-glance, and to
register for the meeting, please click the following link:

REGISTER HERE http://consortium.cceal.org/join/working-group-meeting/

Encourage Colleagues to Serve on an AACC Commission

Please nominate or encourage one of your colleagues to serve on an AACC Commission. Please click on the
link below for details and instructions. The deadline for applying is May 5th.

http://www.aacc.nche.edu/About/Pages/commissions.aspx

For additional information, please contact, Dr. Angel Royal at [email protected].

Nursing Innovation Grant Program Requests Applications

The Division of Academic Quality and Workforce is pleased to announce a Request for Applications (RFA) for
the Nursing Innovation Grant Program (NIGP), Building Simulation and Skills Lab Capacity.
The grant competition solicits applications that propose to develop simulation and skills labs to expand
capacity of nursing programs that prepare students for initial licensure as registered nurses (RN). Proposed
projects shift clinical hours from traditional patient care situations to simulation activities, while enhancing
students’ clinical competencies and faculty proficiency in simulation instruction.

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The RFA is available on the THECB website, http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/NIGPApp. Application deadline for
the NIGP competition is July 20, 2017, 5:00 p.m. CDT.
THECB anticipates announcing grant awards by November 15, 2017. The Grant Period will begin on or about
January 1, 2018, and conclude on December 31, 2019.
Please refer to the RFA for information regarding applicant eligibility, maximum number of submissions per
applicant, and maximum award amount. Questions about the grant competition should be emailed to the NIGP
program contact, Fu-An Lin, Program Director, at [email protected].

Southwest Airlines and HACU Offer Opportunity for Roundtrip Tickets

The 13th Annual “Giving Flight to Your Success™/Dándole Alas a Tu Éxito™" ¡Lánzate! Travel Award
Program is sponsored by Southwest Airlines and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
(HACU).
Through this national education initiative, Southwest Airlines will award roundtrip e-pass(es) to undergraduate
and graduate students across the country who travel away from home to pursue a higher education and meet the
eligibility criteria listed below.
A selection committee consisting of national education advocates and community leaders will select the award
recipients. Recipients may be awarded 1-4 roundtrip e-pass(es) for the student and/or parent to use when
traveling to/from the college/university. The complimentary e-pass(es) can be used for travel to any of the
Southwest Airlines destinations in the United States (void in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and where prohibited
or restricted by law) as listed on www.southwest.com.Lanzate Eligibility Criteria and Application Checklist

Achieving the Dream Offers Programs to Help Students with Financial Skills

The #comm_colleges in our #WSSN Initiative are building programs to help students gain financial skills and
stability #highered

https://t.co/aVEsZAKCKE
(https://twitter.com/AchieveTheDream/status/851780834927554560?s=09)

THECB Announces GenerationTXDecision Day Contests

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), creators of the Generation Texas movement,
proudly announces Generation TX Decision Day 2017 (#GenTXDay) to be held on May 5,
2017. #GenTXDay is a culmination of the efforts across the state to support all students, especially our seniors,
in getting to and through college!
On #GenTXDay all students, especially seniors, are recognized for their postsecondary plans in front of the
entire study body. Think of GenTX Decision Day as a school spirit day, during which we all work together to
build excitement and awareness surrounding the college selection and enrollment process.
Generation Texas also supports the regional efforts and goals of the 60x30TX Texas Challenge to Reach
Higher, which aligns with the national Reach Higher Initiative, to increase completion of college applications,
FAFSA, and college readiness indicators.

#GenTXDay Student Video Challenge
This year, students across Texas can win prizes by sharing their GenTX Decision Day message by creating
videos and posting to social media!

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Seniors: You could win an iPad in just a few easy steps! Post a video to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or
YouTube about your decision to go to college. Where are you going? How did you decide? Include
@GenerationTexas and the official hashtag #GenTXDay with your video for a chance to win! Check out the
Contest Rules and get started!
The contest ends on Monday, May 15, 2017 at 5 p.m. CT.
#Collegiance Contest - College Board
We are encouraging students to continue the celebration on their college decision day by also participating with
the @CollegeBoard “Pledge your #Collegiance” contest by sharing a fun college announcement video for a
chance to a win a grand prize of $5,000 for college. For more info visit:
https://collegiance.wcm.collegeboard.org/.

@Better Make Room
We are also proud to partner with @BetterMakeRoom #CollegeSigningDay which is also on May 5, 2017.
Visit https://www.bettermakeroom.org/get-involved/ to register your signing day event nationally or to make
your "Reach Higher" statement for the whole nation to see!

Dream Catchers-Professional Development Opportunities

The following professional development opportunities highlight Dream Catcher grant and funding opportunities, conference
opportunities, and information for theory, research and practice. I encourage you to forward any information that would provide
wonderful opportunities to our team or students by emailing me at [email protected].
Thank You,
Stacy Ybarra Evans
Catch The Next

Staff Opportunities

Date Activity Activity Description
4/29/2017 Call for ASHE – Association for the Study of Higher Education
4/29/2017 Proposals www.ashe.ws/
Deadline for Submission: May 5, 2017
4/29/2017 Professional
4/29/2017 Development MSI Aspiring Leaders
4/29/2017 Program May 30, 2017 Deadline
4/29/2017 http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi/content/call-applications-apply-now-our-msi-aspiring-leaders-
Proposal forum-and-mentorship-program
Innovation Abstracts – Publications
Scholarship www.nisod.org
Rolling Deadlines
Grants
SACNAS Travel Scholarships
Program Advancing Hispanics/Chicanos & Native Americans in Science
htthttp://sacnas.org/events/national-conf/travel-scholarships/how-to-apply

Grants
www.aauw.org

From Capacity to Success: HSIs, Title V, and Latino Students
www.edexcelencia.org
Research to read

4/29/2017 Program Student Opportunities
Equity & Public Service Program
www.ppiaprogram.orf/ppia/YBapQ

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4/29/2017 Scholarship Course Hero Scholarship
4/29/2017 Scholarship www.coursehero.com
Live Mas Scholarship
4/29/2017 Scholarship Deadline 5/12/2017
www.livemasscholarship.com
4/29/2017 Volunteer Urban Scholarship
4/29/2017 Opportunities Deadline July 10, 2017
Scholarships www.Txadc.org
www.volunteermatch.com

Adelante Fund Scholarships
www.adelantefund.org

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Catch the Next Program Partners

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Catch the Next Colleges Trained on Puente
Model.

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About Our Newsletter

A publication by Catch the Next Inc., for its Dream Catchers –Puente Project.
Submissions are welcomed. Please send all information to: Dr. Maria Chavez, Editor
in Chief. Debra McBeath, Editor.

Submissions: [email protected]
Or: [email protected]

Contributors: Student Interns: Cloe Llanos (ACC), Brandan Barrera (Eastfield), and Ester Barrera (UNTD); Alumni:
Veronica Gonzalez, Juan Higa, Edward Rodriguez, and Rosalio Ramirez; Stacy Ybarra and Dan Rodriguez, Palo Alto
College; Cindy Marroquin, Angelica Cerda, and Esmeralda Macias, South Texas College; Allegra Villarreal, CTN, ACC;
Lydia French, CTN; Dolores Zapata, PAC; Jorge Gomez, El Paso Community College.

“The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Greater Texas
Foundation, or any director , officer or employee thereof.”

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