Education Summit for Asian American, Pacific Islander students hosted by CSUEB
- May 10, 2012
The California State University system invites Bay Area students of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage – who would be of the first generation in their families to go to college – to attend an educational summit to be held at Cal State East Bay Saturday, May 19. The summit is open to students in grades 6 through 12 who want a college education, and their families.
The event, CSU Journey to Success: An Educational Summit for First Generation Asian American and Pacific Islander Students and Families, will commence at 8:30 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the New University Union on CSUEB’s Hayward Campus, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd.
The summit will feature distinguished speakers, information sessions, and an educational resource fair that will include representatives from CSU campuses, community colleges, and community vendors. Topics to be covered in summit workshops and panels are student life experiences on campus; college admissions; and financing a college education through grants, scholarships and financial aid; STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers; and community support programs.
“The CSU Journey to Success educational summit is yet another example of an outstanding program of activities designed to provide information and assistance to families and students in preparing for college, college attendance and graduation,” said Leroy M. Morishita, CSUEB president. “The Cal State East Bay community is extremely pleased to serve as the host site in the Bay Area for this important event. I am very proud to lead our university, which has such a rich tradition of outreach and service to all underserved and disadvantaged populations, in facilitating access and success in public higher education.”
The keynote speaker is Steve Arounsack, a first generation college graduate and one of the first recipients of a full scholarship from the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholars Program, started by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Arounsack is an assistant professor of cultural anthropology at California State University, Stanislaus, where his courses focus on Asian cultures, digital media, visual anthropology and global issues. He serves on the board of governors for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and is vice chair of the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC). Arounsack earned a doctorate in ecology from the University of California, Davis.
“The summit is designed to engage and motivate the youth of traditionally underserved communities and their families to pursue and live the dream of obtaining a college education by providing information and resources in a festive, family-friendly environment,” said Greg Smith, CSUEB associate vice president for Planning and Enrollment Management.
Cal State East Bay is co-hosting the summit along with San Francisco State. Event co-sponsors include the Alameda County Office of Education, Chabot College, Hayward Chamber of Commerce and the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (which awarded a grant to CSUEB to support the summit). Event partners are the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund, Asian/Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Association at CSUEB, Center for Lao Studies, Fiji American National Association, the National Pacific Islander Educator Network and Ohlone College.
Registration and additional information about the event is available at or by calling (510) 885-3516.