Executive Director Alejandra Ceja and Deputy Director Marco Davis of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (Initiative) will join the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics' Member, JoAnn Gama, for the IDEA Public Schools' Reach Higher Summit activities taking place in the south region of Texas. In the morning at 8 a.m. CT, they will participate in a Learning Tour at IDEA Pharr and have an opportunity to interact with educators and students in Pharr, Texas to learn about how students are preparing for college. The tour will be followed by a College Signing Day event beginning at 9:30 a.m. CT at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, where thousands of students, teachers and families will witness 554 seniors from the Class of 2015 reveal their college choices for the first time. The day will end with a Lunch Symposium at 12:30 p.m. CT in McAllen, Texas where Ceja will provide remarks on the Initiative's Anniversary Year of Action and highlight the importance of students, including Hispanics, pursuing and completing a form of higher education, and doing their part to answer the President's call for America to once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.
The Reach Higher initiative is First Lady Michelle Obama's effort to inspire every student in America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, or a four-year college or university.
In September 2015, the Initiative will celebrate its 25th anniversary. In honor of this historic milestone, it has launched its Anniversary Year of Action: Fulfilling America's Future to leverage public- and private-sector commitments to action that invest in quality education programs and strategies for Hispanics.