Last weekend, we again joined forces with our friends at Univision to bring a Parent Academy to the 31st annual Houston Hispanic Forum (HHF) for Career Education Day. This day-long event was attended by nearly 13,000 families and more than 74 school districts in the Greater Houston-area including local counselors, principals, and superintendents.
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S., with a large Hispanic population, and by bringing the bilingual Parent Academy to HHF; we were able to equip Hispanic families with valuable information about preparing their students for college. This free forum provided complimentary child-care and lunch for all attendees, while encouraging and enabling all families to attend endless sessions throughout the day. There were more than 55 college and career pathways for students and parents to explore, with an estimated 110 local and global exhibitors including national and international colleges, universities, trade schools, nonprofits, and corporations.
There was a full house at the Parent Academy sessions with curious families trickling in eager to collect information to help their students succeed. The sessions empowered parents and impacted many Houstonians by providing relevant information about the college process and armed parents with information on how to stay engaged in their student’s 
educational journey. Parents were enthusiastically jotting down notes and consuming the information that our own Juan Garcia was providing. He answered questions about financial aid, discussed ACT Profile, and raffled off prizes to participants. The testimonials are powerful on the effectiveness of our Parent Academies and continue to be essential for underserved students and families. We look forward to continuing to impact our communities!