“We are really excited for our first Open Roads Promise Rally.”
Kallina Villanueva is hoping to spread the word about the Open Roads Promise program at Howard College.
To that end, an Open Roads Promise Rally was held in early April to encourage prospective students to take advantage of the new innovative program geared toward increasing access to tuition-free college education for students across rural communities.
The initiative aims to remove financial barriers and support high school graduates as they pursue associate degrees or certificates at Howard College, preparing them for high-demand, well-paying careers.
Through the Open Roads Promise, eligible graduating seniors will have the opportunity to earn their degrees or certificates without any out-of-pocket tuition costs or fees. The program also includes dedicated support services, mentorship, and workforce development opportunities to help students thrive in college and beyond.
The rally was held at the coliseum and welcomed more than 100 students from 11 high schools to come and learn about the opportunities the program offers.
“We invited all of our participating high schools to attend so that we could get them to pledge as well,” explained Kallina Villanueva Coordinator of High School Partnerships who is overseeing the Open Roads Promise Program.
The pledge is one of the requirements of the program and 11 schools made their way to the Howard College Coliseum to attend the rally. “We had 136 students in attendance, and it was a really great turn out,” said Villanueva.
While signing the pledge is a requirement, Villanueva wants to clarify that it is non-binding. “It doesn’t mean that you are committing to Howard College,” said Villanueva and explained, “…or that you have to come to Howard, or that you have to follow up after you do that. We just want to make sure that if the university or college that you are choosing to go to doesn’t look out for you, you have something to fall back on and, of course, it’s free and we want to offer that to everyone.”
The pledge is used as a survey to gauge student plans where they plan to go and what career path they are interested in.
Graduating from a partner high school in Howard, Glasscock, Dawson and Martin Counties, completing the FAFSA, writing an essay and community service are among the other requirements. May 15 is the deadline to apply for the Open Roads Program and students must be enrolled for the fall semester by July 15.
“It’s very helpful to those kids who have two working parents at home who are not able to receive financial aid,” said Villanueva. “It really helps those parents out by not having to dig into their savings for their kids to go to college.”
Because of donor participation and grant funding from Ascendia there is no limit to the number of students or their economic backgrounds who can take part in the program.
“We are really excited about this program and I am looking forward to working with high school counselors and their students.”
The next rally will be held in October and then once a year thereafter.
For more information about the program and how to apply contact Villanueva at 432-264-5150 or visit openroadspromise.org.