MILWAUKEE, Wis – More than 250 young men will visit the UWM campus Oct. 20 as part of the launch of a collaboration between the Milwaukee Public Schools Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement and the university.
The students, a mix of ninth- through 12th-graders from nine MPS schools, will arrive on campus starting at 9:30 a.m. in the UWM Student Union Ballroom, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., to participate in a variety of events, meet potential mentors, tour the campus and get a feel for what life on a college campus is like.
Students will have a chance to talk with others over lunch about how school is going for them so far this year, what similarities and differences they have in their experiences as young Black and Latino males, what their experiences are at their schools and how a BLMA brotherhood can potentially impact change at their school and in MPS.
The event is part of an effort to encourage young men of color to complete their high school education and consider going to college, according to Marc Young, executive director of UWM’s Office of Admissions. “This is at the heart of the university’s commitment to the community,” he said.
“This is an opportunity to present life at UWM to these students,” said Chris Brundidge, associate director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Many young men of color have historically been a marginalized group in public schools, said Alberto Maldonado, director of the Roberto Hernandez Center. One of the goals of the collaboration is to let the students know that higher education is important and accessible to them, he added.
UWM will have men of color – staff, faculty and students who may become mentors – meet the students during their visit and have lunch with them.
