Laredo Community College has launched the region’s first GO Center, a computer-based tool to motivate and guide students toward a college education, at Dr. Leo G. Cigarroa High School.
School leaders and students were on hand on Wednesday, November 3, to view the new GO Center, located in the CHS Counseling Center. Among those present were LCC President Dr. Ramon H. Dovalina.
LCC recently received a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish the GO Center at CHS. The goal of the project is to create a statewide network of trained college students and college-bound high school students, called the G-Force. They will mentor middle and high school students to develop and follow a personal plan leading them to a higher education.
The GO Center consists of a computer that is connected to the Internet. The system is equipped with special web tools for the benefit of students.
Among the innovations is the “Career Cruising” program, which helps students find explore their career options, or plan future education and training. CHS students will also have access to an on-line college network, which helps students build an online resume that can be accessed by participating colleges and universities for recruitment purposes.
“The GO Center at CHS will benefit our G-Force students by allowing them to connect to websites and access programs vital to college preparation. The G-Force students can in turn encourage their peers to explore the college process, especially that population of students who are undecided and/or become discouraged because they are not sure what to do,” said CHS Counselor Isaura Garcia.
“The availability of the Go-Center hopefully will encourage students to move forward towards a college education,” added Garcia.
The GO Center at CHS will be available throughout the school day, but it is expected to be manned by G-Force students to provide assistance to other students before and after school, as well as during the lunch hour, noted Garcia.
The GO Center is an initiative of the College for Texans statewide campaign launched in 2002 by the Coordinating Board in an aggressive new effort to send more Texans to college. The campaign aims, by 2015, to enroll another 300,000 academically prepared students—beyond the 200,000 enrollment growth projected based on current trends—in Texas community colleges, technical schools and universities.
For more information about the GO Center at Cigarroa High School, contact Garcia by calling 795-3800, Ext. 133.
A Cigarroa High School student utilizes the new Go Center computer station as Laredo Community College President Dr. Ramon H. Dovalina and CHS Principal Mario Guzman look on.
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