Latino parents and students interested in finding out more about programs available at Beaufort County Community College are invited to Latino Family Night on Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the Building 10 multipurpose room. The evening will offer an opportunity for parents and students to learn about continuing education programs, associate degree programs, Early College High School, College and Career Promise and GED programs. Spanish-speaking staff and volunteers will be available to discuss programs with the community.

This is the second time BCCC is holding the family night. Last fall about 50 people attended, including grandparents, parents and children. The admissions staff at BCCC has partnered with Juvencio Rocha-Peralta and AMEXCAN, the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina Inc., to help remove the roadblocks many Latinos face in regards to higher education. Daniel Garza will speak to the audience about his experience with Early College High School in Columbia. Garza graduated from Columbia ECHS with an associate degree and a high school diploma. He is now a senior at Campbell University.

The College and Career Promise program allows high school students to earn college credit while still in high school. ECHS is a five-year program where high school students attend college classes and graduate with an associate degree on top of their high school degree. These programs allow high school graduates to start at a four-year university as a sophomore or a junior, saving a family on tuition costs.

These programs can be especially beneficial to Latino families who might face out-of-state tuition charges when they attend college. A family could be saddled with an additional $15,000 in tuition over the course of two years. This can make higher education extremely expensive or, even worse, inaccessible. By taking advantage of these programs that BCCC offers to all students, Latino families can make the dream of sending their children to college possible.

Young students are not the only ones who can take advantage of programs at BCCC.

“When parents start to hear about the opportunities we can provide for their children, they often ask, ‘Can I do this program as well?’” said Michele Mayo, director of admissions and recruitment at BCCC. Parents can take advantage of GED programs or earn certificates such as the Community Spanish Interpreter certificate through the Continuing Education Department.

Latino Family Night will offer a comfortable setting for families to get their questions answered and start down the road of higher education — and a rewarding career — for their children or themselves that they might otherwise see as impossible.