By Jarrod Walley |Staff Writer|
Presidents of the CSU system, including President Tomás D. Morales, as well as the chancellor are visiting local churches in an effort to inform youths of the African American community about higher education.
This is an annual event run by the CSU African American Initiative (AAI) during the month of February.
The focus of the project is to assist young scholars, from high school and middle school levels, in preparing for their futures in higher education.
Super Sunday will be held at Ecclesia Christian Fellowship in San Bernardino on Feb. 26 at 10:30 a.m.
Guests will receive insight regarding the college experience, and encouragement to pursue a college institution.
Cathedral of Praise International Ministries church, hosted a Super Sunday event on Feb. 12.
This program has been an annual event for the past 12 years within California. San Bernardino County has been an active participant since the inception of the program.
President Morales and CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White are schedules to speak at some of the church locations later this month.
“Twelve years ago, the CSU began conversations with African American church leaders about how they could partner to increase the number of African Americans entering and succeeding in higher education,” said AAI Community Partnerships Director Marisela Cervantes.
Primary focus groups of AAI are African Americans youths in disadvantaged communities. The goal is to help 500,000 students graduate from college by the year 2025. This is considered to be a reasonable goal, since each year the program reaches out to over 100,000 students.
Super Sunday partners with churches and religious institutions within smaller communities. AAI’s goal is to inspire young scholars to pursue a college education.
The partnerships with the churches puts an emphasis on family and incorporating all of the members in the process.
Student Elizabeth Bracamontes said, “I think it’s great the churches are involved because from a religious standpoint, it is always good to help those in need, regardless of their background.”
Super Saturday has also been added to the program. These events take place on CSU campuses at the start and end of the academic year.
The program informs students from disadvantaged communities about college preparation, and how to maintain academic progress during their college career.
“Super Saturday is an education fair that creates an additional touch point to prepare for college success, [meant] for students and families participating in Super Sunday,” said Cervantes.
The next Super Saturday will be at CSUSB on Saturday, April 22. The event is free and open to the public.
Many college students are unaware of the program. Regardless, students with family members or friends that are interested in the event are encouraged to come.
Students can visit calstate.edu to find out more information about Super Sunday and Saturday. The site also offers information on other CSU initiatives and programs like the Latino and Native American initiatives.
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