“The first step to make it possible is to believe that it is a possibility,” says Tammy Dain, Community Relations Manager at Holy Names University (HNU) in Oakland. “In Latino families, the parents want to see their kids at college, but it is a whole new process and they need more support and information,” she adds. “Latino families believe but they often do not have the information that they need to make it possible.”

HNU recently announced the launch of the New Initiative for College Access, a program that partners with high schools, elementary and middle schools, nonprofits organizations, and community leaders to provide resources and guidance for students who want to go to college. “Through partnership, we believe that we will be able to help each student meet their educational goals,” says Dain, who is working with many high schools and organizations around the Bay Area as well as national organizations such as the Hispanic College Fund.

The program has two main parts:

Workshops. Planning workshops for students and families on the following topics:
   - 9th and 10th grade College Planning
   - Admissions Interview
   - Admissions Essay
   - The Financial Aid Process

Tutoring and mentor program. Current students of HNU with similar background of the future college student will go to the schools and speak to them. The benefit is that all the questions that the students may have can be answered by someone who already went through the same process and understands the challenges.

HNU counselors map out an individual education plan for each student based on their goals, background and finances. Counselors create pathways for students to ensure that each reaches their educational goals. Individual counseling is encouraged for students who are first in their family to go to college.

“As counselors we help students get to the college of their choice and make their educational dreams a reality,” says Dain.

“New Initiative for College Access was created with the belief that institutions of higher learning have a profound responsibility to low income students in our community,” she says. “We strive to provide students who are first in their family to go to college with access to resources that create a pathway to college success.”  

Dain says that as a private university, HNU has more access to financial aid programs and scholarships. The average scholarship will cover half of the tuition cost of the student. About fifty per cent of students at HNU are students with scholarships.

Twenty three percent of the current undergraduate students at Holy Names are Hispanic. The university is planning to launch the entire college access program in Spanish this spring.