NEWS
College Horizons Outreach Program
On April 16, 2007, the United States government will launch the first College Horizons Outreach Program for Afro-Latino and Indigenous high school students from Colombia's Pacific coastal region. The United States government has contributed $58,550 to this collaborative initiative with the University of Nariño.
The program provides 25 student participants with English language training and academic mentoring via the University of Nariño English Language Department. Selected students demonstrated academic promise despite possessing few economic resources. The goal of the joint effort is to help high-potential students from the Pacific coast to enhance their student profile for the college admissions process thereby making them competitive for higher education opportunities.
The funding supports participants in the two-year program covering costs for English language study, student transportation, mentor support and programming, academic advising materials and seminars, and college entrance exams and preparation.
The program is modeled after the highly-successful Martin Luther King program that targets Afro-Colombian college students in Quibdo, Medellin, Cali, Bogota and surrounding areas. The MLK program began in January 2006 to prepare Afro-Colombian university undergraduates in English language and leadership training.
For further information on the College Horizons Outreach Program, contact the University of Narino's Press Office, Phone: (2) 731- 3604; E-mail: prensa@udenar.edu.co
Bogotá D.C.
April,16, 2007