In the News . . .

Academy Sends Off Graduates, Welcomes New Director

Fall 2007 (The Scene)
Reprinted with permission.

Willamette Academy, an academic support and college preparatory program for economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse middle and high school students, graduated its first class in June.

The 21 high school graduates, who started the program five years ago, were honored with a special ceremony in Hudson Hall. This fall many of them headed to college campuses, including Willamette, Oregon State University, Linfield College and Western Oregon University.

Joining the academy this fall is a new executive director, Bob Casarez, who worked with underprivileged youths for about seven years at Chemeketa Community College's TRiO Upward Bound program. He holds a bachelor's degree in management and an MBA from George Fox University. He also served in the Oregon Air National Guard for 12 years.

Welcome

Willamette Academy at Willamette University is a college access program committed to empowering youth who have the desire and potential to advance to higher education, targeting those who are historically under-represented at colleges and universities in the United States. Willamette Academy is a supplemental education program in which ethnically diverse students are challenged and inspired to enhance their critical thinking skills, see themselves as leaders in their community, and develop a love of learning. Our hope is that through cooperative efforts with families and public schools, Willamette Academy students will develop a stronger foundation on which to build their future.

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