Congresswoman Eleanor Norton

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) hopes to encourage Hispanic students in the District of Columbia to include college in their future plans through a special assembly at Bell Multicultural High School, 3101 16^th Street NW on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, at 9:30 a.m.  Norton believes the best way to encourage young people to attend college is to let students hear from students like themselves.  She will lead an informal discussion during the assembly, featuring Karla Maldonado, a graduate of Bell Multicultural High School and Trinity College, and Marciela Reyes-Nava, a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School and Penn State, both of whom took advantage of the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program (DCTAG).  In addition to the Congresswoman, Bell Multicultural High School students will ask questions of the panel about their college experiences.

“This time of year is when students across the country, and particularly in our region, are preparing themselves to enter college, considering that the largest pool of good-paying jobs are ones that require a college degree.  DCTAG is one important option for college-bound D.C. students that significantly reduces the cost of college, which we fought hard to get passed by Congress,” Norton said. 

DCTAG provides up to $10,000 annually toward the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public four-year colleges and universities, and up to $2,500 annually toward tuition at private colleges in the D.C. region, Historically Black Colleges and Universities nationwide, and two-year colleges.  DCTAG has doubled college attendance among students from the District of Columbia.

Published: October 5, 2012