BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Black student unions from across the Central Valley traveled to California State University Bakersfield on Friday to attend a day-long conference. The conference aims to show high school students how to navigate university life.
- Around 400 high school students and CSUB faculty attended a daylong conference at CSUB.
- The event focused on helping students navigate university life with workshops on majors, minors, and electives.
- CSUB aims to increase African American student enrollment, currently at 4% of the student body.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The United Black Student Unions of California has been around for 51 years, bringing Black students from Central California all the way from Stockton to Bakersfield, giving them a glimpse into university life. CSUB tells me African Americans make up 4% of students on campus, which for example, would be 400 out of every 10,000 enrolled students.
"We need to start putting an emphasis on more African American students. African American students in California, like I said, are always put last and always fighting for funding at the school district."
Students entered the Frances B. Dore theater to start the day with a workshop teaching them how to navigate through picking majors, minors, and electives, and then ended with step-dance performances. With around 8 workshops providing career, resume, academic, mental health, and networking advice, Jada Hurd, University student and outreach assistant, tells me it's important to reach students at an early age.
"You're not too sure what you want to do, so at an early age you want to be able to get them thinking about what they want to do. When they do their senior year, they're prepared and ready."
The opportunity for Black students to see themselves at a university and expand into post-secondary education is why Savanna Spivey, a Medesto high school student, came 3 hours away. She tells me the workshops are giving her hope and preparing her for life outside of Medesto.
"The community is a little different, and the kids out there don't have a lot of resources and there aren't a lot of good role models. But if you put your mind to it, you can do whatever you want."
Students from Bakersfield to Stockton attended Friday's conference. The University tells me they are still connecting with more schools in the community to give more students an opportunity to learn about higher education.
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