Sallie Mae Offers Assistance to Hispanic-Serving School Districts

     The Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU) has recently announced a $125,000 commitment from Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading provider of student loans. The commitment will fund educational outreach to Hispanic-Serving School Districts (HSSD) across the country about best practices in advising students on planning and paying for college.
“We are thrilled Sallie Mae made the commitment to support our newest initiative with the Hispanic-Serving School Districts,” said Antonio Flores, Ph.D., President and CEO of HACU. “The funds will allow the opportunity to form a Hispanic-Serving School District Advisory Council. With the council’s leadership and advice, we hope to strengthen our commitment to the school districts across the country and increase the number of well-prepared K-12 students entering the Hispanic higher education pipeline.”
As part of the five year commitment, Sallie Mae will provide its college-planning Web site development tool, as well as printed materials in both English and Spanish, to all participating HSSD schools. These resources will be used by the school districts to educate their students and families about planning and paying for college.” Sallie Mae is proud to work with HACU to bring these important educational resources to school districts with large Hispanic populations all across the country,” said Maria Frias, Senior Vice President, Hispanic Initiatives, Sallie Mae.
“Research has shown us that the earlier students and families receive the critical message that college is possible, the earlier they can plan for how to pay for higher education, and eventually realize their education dreams.” Graduating from college pays lifelong dividends: according to the U.S. Census Bureau, college graduates on average earn over $1 million more during their lifetimes than high school dropouts. But studies show that for every 100 Hispanic children entering kindergarten, just 63 will graduate from high school and only 11 will obtain a bachelor’s degree by the age of 29.
HACU is a non-profit organization committed to assuring higher education access and success for Hispanic students. For more information, visit www.hacu.net.

— Teachers of Color