Penn Hosts College Horizons Program for a Third Time, Providing Native American Students with College Admissions Insight

Penn today announced that close to 100 Native American high school students from 19 states representing 33 Tribal Nations, Alaska Native Villages and Hawaiian islands from across North America will be on campus June 22-28 to take part in College Horizons 2024.

The nationwide program prepares Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian high school sophomores and juniors to pursue higher education via culturally-sustaining college advising programs. This will be Penn's third time hosting the program on its campus.

“We are thrilled to share our community with the students of College Horizons,” said Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania Whitney Soule. “In addition to providing high school sophomores and juniors with a comprehensive program to prepare them for college applications, this week gives us a chance to show off our community of problem solvers, thinkers, and connectors at Penn.”

During the week-long program, the students - 30% of whom are first generation to college and who come from 67 different high schools - will work with nearly 60 faculty members and admissions representatives from across the country to learn about the college admissions process. Students will leave with not only the knowledge necessary to navigate applying to college, but also a network of individuals ready to assist them. Students will travel to Philadelphia from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

“Our organization is deeply committed to preparing, celebrating and empowering Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students to become educated on all aspects of the college admissions and financial aid process,” said College Horizons Executive Director Carmen Lopez. “We do this by offering summer admissions 'crash courses' focused on demystifying the college application process and exploring college options. Our program is designed to be fun, challenging, and vastly rewarding for participants, and we're thrilled to be returning to the Penn community once again.”

College Horizons's success in working with Native students is reflected in their success rate. 99% of students who attend College Horizons attend a 4-year university and of those, 85% graduate within four to five years.

The June program includes small group sessions for students as well as an Opening Ceremony, a Penn Information Session, a College Fair, a Traditional Night - where students will share their diverse cultures through song, dance, and talk - and a Closing Session.

About College Horizons

College Horizons is a non-profit organization that supports the higher education of Native American students by providing college and graduate admissions workshops to American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students/participants from across the nation. Two programs are offered in the summer: College Horizons services current 10th-11th grade high school students and Graduate Horizons services college students and college graduates. For more information, go to https://collegehorizons.org/.

About the University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania, founded in 1740, is an Ivy League institution with a distinctive past. Its 12 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools are located in Philadelphia on an attractive urban campus that serves a diverse community of more than 20,000 students from throughout the nation and around the world. Ranked consistently among the top universities in the nation, Penn has a longstanding reputation for excellence in graduate and professional education. For more information, go to www.upenn.edu.