VIDEO: Teens gain higher-ed insight in Northwest Arkansas Community College program

BENTONVILLE -- Angel De La Cruz knows he's setting an example for his three younger siblings as he prepares to enter college this fall.

"My little brothers look up to me all the time," said De La Cruz, a 2017 Springdale High School graduate. "I have my cap and gown hung up in my room, and they're like, 'Wow, one day I'm going to be wearing that, Angel. And one day you're going to see me walking across the stage.' It makes me happy that someone's actually looking up to me, hoping that I achieve something in life."

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De La Cruz, 18, will become the first from his family to attend college when he enrolls at Northwest Arkansas Community College this fall.

He was one of more than 150 high school students who attended the college's three-day LIFE program this week. LIFE stands for learning, improvement, fun and empowerment.

The program aims to show students what they can achieve in life by pursuing higher education. It also provides them insight on applying to and paying for college and what to expect once they're there.

Northwest Arkansas Community College students serve as mentors. College staff and community members give motivational speeches, explaining how they overcame adversity to achieve their dreams.

This is the sixth year the college has put on the LIFE program. Officials counted 172 students in attendance on Wednesday, a record high for the program.

Attendees came from at least 12 high schools across Northwest Arkansas. Most were from Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville, but some came from as far as Decatur and Elkins, according to Juanita Franklin, the program's director.

De La Cruz, who will pursue a degree in accounting, moved from Mexico to Springdale when he was 3 years old. He attended LIFE last summer and enjoyed it so much, he decided to return this year.

"I would recommend it for any other students who are kind of unsure about what they want to do with their life and are kind of unsure whether they want to continue their education," he said.

Franklin said she runs LIFE on an annual budget of $15,000. Many businesses and community members pitch in to help. That support has grown over the years, she said.

Acambaro Mexican Restaurant provided lunch Tuesday. Cox Communications employees brought a grill to campus and provided lunch Wednesday. Ozark Regional Transit provided free transportation for the students each day.

The program's goal is to encourage students to pursue higher education anywhere, not necessarily at Northwest Arkansas Community College, Franklin said.

"You won't see a recruiter here," she said. "But honestly, most of them will come here."

Of the 67 seniors who attended last summer's LIFE program, 38 enrolled at Northwest Arkansas Community College in the fall. All but one of those students continued with the college in the spring semester, Franklin said.

This year, 49 students who just graduated high school attended LIFE. Staff members met with those who had shown an interest in enrolling at the college and helped them finish the paperwork they needed to get done to enroll. As of Thursday, 37 of those 49 students were enrolled for the fall, according to Franklin.

Jesse Moralez, 77, of Bella Vista, addressed the group as Thursday's guest speaker. The retired businessman recalled his father, a migrant worker, taking him and his brother out to work in the fields for two weeks when Moralez was a boy.

"He said, 'Now, do you want to do that for the rest of your life, or do you want to go to school?'" Moralez told the students.

Moralez was drafted into the Army. He later earned his GED. He said he loved the military for the discipline it instilled in him.

Many students asked him questions. One asked how he dealt with a brain tumor he had removed and whether the tumor affected his mindset.

"Life is going to knock you down," Moralez said. "Getting up is the key."

Though its focus is education, the LIFE program frequently has a party-like atmosphere. At one point, during lunch in the college's Shewmaker Center for Workforce Technologies, a dance-off broke out.

Most of the students who attend LIFE are Hispanic. Franklin said the program is open to all students, but the vast majority who show an interest in it are Hispanic. That may be because LIFE is directed primarily at those who would be the first in their family to go to college.

Some of the students are undocumented, though they're not required to disclose that status.

Franklin, addressing the group Thursday, said no student should be discouraged from attending college, even if they're undocumented. She promised they would be welcome at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Though they'd have to pay the out-of-state tuition rate, that rate is only $2.50 more per credit hour than the in-state rate, she said.

The college slashed its out-of-state rate from $175 to $125 per credit hour in 2015, in part to attract more international students, including those who aren't legal residents. The college's enrollment of international students rose from 121 in fall 2014 to 168 in fall 2016, a 39 percent increase over two years, according to the college's annual Fact Book.

Jose Rodriguez, 19, graduated last month from Springdale High School. He decided to attend this year's LIFE program because it would help him get to know future classmates at the college.

"I see why kids come every year. The mentors are really nice, very welcoming," Rodriguez said.

He plans to work to help pay his college tuition. He's also received three local scholarships.

Rodriguez, the sixth of seven children in his family, was the first in his family to graduate high school. His parents shed tears of joy at his high school graduation.

"It was a good moment when I graduated, but going to college, I feel like it's a step forward. It's a prouder, happier moment," he said.

NW News on 06/16/2017