Texas Border Business
Rio Grande Valley – On Saturday, October 6 at 10 a.m. IDEA-U will be hosting their first commencement ceremony at IDEA Public Schools Headquarters.
IDEA-U, which was launched by IDEA Public Schools in August of 2017, is an online, flexible, supportive, and affordable college option designed to support IDEA Alumni, employees and community members whose full lives, changing work schedules and family obligations did not allow them to finish college.
“Over the past 12 years, we have sent nearly 100% of our seniors to college,” said Phillip Garza, Chief College & Diversity Officer at IDEA Public Schools. “While IDEA graduates complete college at a rate 3-4 times higher than the national average for low-income students, there are still a number of students who struggle to persist due to unforeseen challenges. Our mission has, and always will be, College For All, and this gap sparked the concept of IDEA-U.”
IDEA-U partners with College for America, a fully accredited, non-profit institution, and a Southern New Hampshire University affiliate. College for America offers online, individualized curricula that lead to an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. The program is designed to help students master relevant skills they can immediately apply in the workplace.
WHAT
IDEA-U to celebrate their inaugural graduating class with commencement ceremony at IDEA Headquarters.
WHO
Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University
Philip Garza, IDEA Public Schools Chief College and Diversity Officer and IDEA-U Founder
Maria Esther Rodriguez Nguma, IDEA Co-Founder and Director
Konsuelo and Jesus Melgoza, Student Speakers
WHEN
Saturday, October 6, 2018
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE
IDEA Public Schools Headquarters
2115 W. Pike Blvd.
For more information or to attend, please contact Marco Carbajal at mailto:marco.carbajal@ideapublicschools.org or call (956) 272 – 4392
