Alejandra Ceja, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (Initiative), will visit San Antonio on Thursday, Feb. 18 and Friday, Feb. 19 to participate in three events to recognize local Bright Spots in Hispanic Education and organizations that made Commitments to Action that are advancing Hispanic Education, highlight the Obama Administration’s investments in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education and discuss the efforts helping increase postsecondary education completion for Hispanic students.
On Thursday, Feb. 18, at 5:30 p.m. CT, Ceja will join Univision, Alamo Colleges and the San Antonio Education Partnership at a reception to honor over 20 Bright Spots in Hispanic Education and Commitments to Action. Ceja will provide remarks to approximately 250 education stakeholders highlighting the importance of cross-sector collaboration and investments in a high-quality, cradle-to-career education for all students, including Hispanic students.
On Friday, Feb. 19, at 9:15 a.m. CT, Ceja will deliver the keynote address at the 2016 Mexican American School Board Association (MASBA) Annual Conference where she will share the Administration’s efforts to advance access to STEM and computer science courses for all students, a key priority in President Obama’s fiscal year 2017 budget. MASBA works for the advancement of school board members in Texas through policy development, advocacy, and educational opportunities. The conference will focus on federal education reform, leadership development, community engagement, and college readiness.
At 1:15 p.m. CT, Ceja will deliver remarks at the 41st Annual Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education Conference (TACHE) titled, “¡Adelante! Latinos on the Rise: Remembering our Past, Leading our Future.” She will highlight that in spite of Latinos graduating high school and enrolling in college at higher rates, becoming the largest minority group in our nation’s colleges and universities, only 22% of young Latino adults have an associate’s degree or higher. Ceja will discuss the need to support Latino students through college. Further, she will discuss federal-level tools and resources, including the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, available to support students in their efforts to access, afford, persist in and complete a postsecondary education. TACHE is a professional association committed to the improvement of educational and employment opportunities for Hispanics in higher education.