Archives News

For immediate release — Feb. 26, 2015

(DALLAS) — High school juniors and seniors, as well as college freshmen, always want to borrow the keys to drive the family car. They have friends to visit, activities to attend, and places to go — but a different set of keys can get them into college.

A free program — the Las Llaves del Éxito (or Keys to Success) Leadership and Career Symposium — can help those students and their parents follow the road to college using a map that includes the tools they need to succeed. The event, presented by the Dallas County Community College District and the Dallas Independent School District, is designed specifically for college freshmen, 11th- and 12th-graders, and parents so that they can explore higher education together and learn about careers, goals and skills that will help them plan for the future.

The program will be held on Saturday, March 28, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Cedar Valley College, located at 3030 N. Dallas Ave. in Lancaster. Admission and breakfast are free. Participants can pre-register at https://llavesleadershipsymposium.eventbrite.com and complete a Llaves Passport for a chance to win a $500 DCCCD scholarship and other prizes.

The half-day event will begin with a sit-down breakfast in the Cedar Valley College Student Center, followed by a keynote speaker in the auditorium. The rest of the program includes two breakout sessions and a concurrent job, college and career fair.

Topics for those breakout sessions will include: resume writing, dressing for success, career pathways, soft skills for success, keeping up with LinkedIn and social media, internships, summer programs, leadership development and opportunities, getting ready for DACA/DAPA, certifications, booming industries in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, starting a small business and more. (DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and DAPA is the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program.)

“This spring, our sessions during the Las Llaves symposium will focus on soft skills, leadership development and opportunities, DACA/DAPA, and financial aid and admission information that students need,” said Esther Canales, the event’s coordinator and outreach staff member for DCCCD. “We realize that schools focus on academic curriculum to prepare their students for graduation, so we decided to build on other types of skills they will need to succeed in a college environment.”

Sponsors for the free program are: DCCCD, Dallas ISD, Cedar Valley College, UT Outreach-Dallas, H&R Block, the University of North Texas at Dallas, Dallas County Schools, Grande 107.5 FM, High Steps, the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Education Is Freedom, Telemundo 39, the University of Texas at Arlington, Well Fargo, the University of North Texas, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Ford Motor Company, Texas Woman’s University, CapitalOne Bank University Crossroads and LULAC National Education Service Centers Inc.

For more information in English, call (214) 378-1738; in Spanish, call (214) 378-1713; and online, visit www.dcccd.edu/KeysToSuccess.