Forty-five high school students from eight different counties around the state of North Carolina are registered to attend the Second Juntos Virtual Summer Academy on June 15-18. 

The Juntos Academy has a 12-year history of providing Latino students with a college experience at NC State University. The theme for this year’s event is 2021 Perseveramos, and each day will be divided by the goals of the students recognizing their challenges, identifying their strategies, and sharing their strengths. Workshops will focus on career exploration in law, healthcare, engineering, business, mental health and Agricultural Science. Students will connect with professors, professionals and college students to learn about real career options in those fields. 

In addition, students will be able to participate in skill workshops focused on financial literacy, professionalism, college writing, public speaking and wellness. They will also be given the opportunity to attend a virtual college fair. Participating institutions include NC State University, Appalachian State University, Elizabeth City University, UNC Wilmington, UNC Asheville, Cape Fear Community College, Wake Tech Community College, and Western Carolina University. 

Among the team captains for this year’s event are Juntos alumni who participated in the Juntos program during her high school years at Starmount High School in Yadkin County. Leslie Hernandez, a junior at UNC Greensboro studying political science, returns this year as a team captain for the annual Summer Academy. During her time at Starmount High, she had the opportunity to attend a previous Juntos Summer Academy and was inspired to continue searching for opportunities to find her own path to higher education. She hopes to give back to the program that helped her throughout her time as a high school student and to be a positive role model and influence for the students participating in the Summer Academy this year. Due to her personal interest and college experience thus far, Hernandez will be assisting with the Law Career Workshop, which will focus on informing students about their Miranda Rights. 

Juntos Academy was truly shaped by the students of local Juntos clubs around North Carolina. When surveyed, the top choices for career exploration were mental health, engineering, business, law, agriculture science and healthcare. The virtual academy experience was structured around these careers with a touch of professional resources and higher education exploration. 

Schedule

Virtual College Fair: June 15 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Career Workshops: June 16,17, 18 11 a.m. – noon

Skill Workshops: June 16, 17, 18 3 – 4 p.m.

Partnership and Sponsors 

NC State University Multicultural Student Affairs, Send a Kid to Camp (Triangle Community Foundation), CYFAR USDA, Anonymous Trust, PNC Bank, National 4-H Council, NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State College of Engineering, NC State Poole College of Management, NC State College of Education,  NC College Foundation, NC State Career Development Center, NC State University Admissions. Wake Tech Community College, Elizabeth City State University, UNC Asheville, Western Carolina University, Cape Fear Community College, UNC Wilmington, Appalachian State University, Thread Capital, BrainSTEMology (™), Four Winds NC, Inc., Decent Concepts & Net Impact Triad, Pharmaceutical Product Development.

About Juntos NC

Juntos (pronounced “Who-n-toes”) means “Together” in Spanish and works to unite community partners to provide Latino 8th-12th grade students and their parents with knowledge, skills, and resources to prevent youth from dropping out and to encourage families to work together to gain access to college. Research shows that Latino youth are at greatest risk for dropping out of school between the 9th and 10th grades. The Juntos Program reduces this risk by bringing together cohorts of 8th grade youth to support each other as they enter high school and prepare together for higher education. The multifaceted partnerships between Extension’s 4-H and FCS agents, school and college administrators and staff, and other community volunteers are what makes the Juntos Program a sustainable success in many communities across the United States. Learn more at https://juntos.dasa.ncsu.edu/.