AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The Step Up To Success Conference hosted by Los Barrios de Amarillo Wednesday gave middle school students the chance to gain some perspective from college students.
West Texas A&M University's G-Force made an appearance at the conference, indulging the students with a Fear Factor themed contest and speaking to them about their personal experiences with college classes and college life.
"We think it's important to focus on people that are currently working on their higher education to come in and kind of give their stories and kind of give their interpretation of their experience and how they've gotten to the point they they are at," Los Barrios de Amarillo Vice President John Salazar said. "This G-Force group is excellent."
Students asked questions about the difficulty of college work, rooming situations and campus life. And Salazar said the fact that the kids were taking an interest in learning about college life is a sign of motivation.
"The earlier we can get people involved and talking about higher education, the better it is for them. So, that's solely what this whole conference is about is putting business individuals in front of these students so they can see what people have done with their lives and what career has come out of it."
Still, Salazar and other conference organizers acknowledged that college is not for everyone. So, Pantex employees orchestrated trade skills classes for the students to attend. They focused on the fact that it is possible for one to have a successful career without a degree.
"Development of our community is the most important part," Salazar stated. "We want people to succeed. We want people in our area who have never heard of the college experience or higher education to know that it is an option and that all of the people involved in this are willing to help them achieve that goal."
The Step Up To Success Conference has been going on for more than 30 years, and Salazar said with the help of Pantex it will continue on for years to come.
