By Keaton Yost, Associate Editor
El Camino hosted the Historically Black Colleges and Universities fair on Sept. 12 to provide college and scholarship opportunities for students from a variety of schools in the district.
There are about 107 HBCUs in the United States, and 30 of these such schools were present at the fair. Contrary to what the name may suggest, these universities are not restrictive to students based on their ethnicity, and welcome pupils from a wide variety of backgrounds. Each college represented at the event at EC sent a recruiter or official with the power to grant students admission and even scholarships.
United College Action Network, or U-CAN, is the non-profit organization which runs the fairs such as the one that EC hosted. Operating all across Sacramento, U-CAN offers a range of resources beyond their events, all dedicated to helping students in their journey to receiving and paying for higher education. HBCUs are generally smaller in student size and cost less to attend, making them a perfect target for U-CAN’s goal of assisting students.
Doneeka Cooper, a U-CAN worker at the fair, mentioned how HBCUs provide a unique experience among other universities.
“HBCUs are a home for our students away from home,” noted Cooper.
Many at the fair held the colleges there in a similar regard, including Kelsey Rountree, Assistant Director of Admission at Hampton University. She explained how HBCUs have a strong sense of comradery and offer a once in a lifetime opportunity that contains an immense number of benefits.
“[HBCUs] have amazing connections [inside and outside] of the classroom, in terms of internships and job opportunities,” Rountree commented.
Overseeing not just the fair held at EC but the entirety of U-CAN, Dr. Alan H. Rowe is the CEO of the non-profit and an avid supporter of providing choice education to future generations. He shared his feelings of how helping students get a good education includes making sure they can afford housing, get the aid they need, and set them up for success once they graduate.
“We’re committed to this for the long haul. So it’s not just for today, it’s not just for this week, but it’s for the future,” Rowe stated.
He later mentioned how helping upcoming generations now and throughout their education will empower them to fight the problems of tomorrow.
To find info on the next fair and U-CAN resources on their website or by following their Instagram account, @ucango2college.
The Eagle Eye Newspaper 