On Thursday, June 11, Marian College hosted the career night for the Project Stepping Stone participants. Project Stepping Stone is a one-week college prep summer program (in June) that helps Hispanic high school students successfully prepare for college and beyond. Project Stepping Stone introduced selected students to potential careers and included visits to several Indiana college campuses and businesses. This program was offered, at no cost to students, by the Indiana Chapter National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and partnering sponsors.

 

Career night took place at Cardinal Ritter High School and was part of a week-long program starting June 7. The program entailed creating a resume and participating in two mock job interviews with approximately 30 companies and businesses. Some well-known businesses were present, such as Lilly, IBM, Bella Magazine, and Merrill Lynch. During the week-long program, students were informed about different higher education funding options and visited several different Indiana college campuses to find their best fit.

 

“The purpose of the week is to help students become aware of the importance and the possibilities of higher education,” says Sr. Norma Rocklage, OSF ’62, Marian College’s executive director of education formation outreach. Recruiting and retaining Hispanic students is important to Marian College because those students represent cultural and economic diversity that enriches the entire campus community, deepens cultural understanding among students, and contributes to the vibrancy of campus life.

 

Project Stepping Stone was started by the co-founder of the Indiana Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA), Steve Ramos. The program started six years ago with 12 students and has expanded to 108 students this year. It is one of several Hispanic outreach programs that Marian College participates in; others include Alcance, a joint program of La Plaza, Indiana Department of Education, and Latino Youth Connection.