Building a Bridge for Diversity

Written by Cory Chandler

Texas Tech hosted school counselors from five tribal education departments in an effort to broaden its recruitment to the Cross Cultural Academic Advancement Center’s Native American Summer Bridge Program (NASBI).

Created to help Texas Tech recruit Native American students, NASBI accepts 35 high school students for an intensive five-day program that includes college preparation workshops, introductions to academic courses and student life activities.

The program is free, and NASBI provides travel, housing and meals. To apply for the exclusive program, download and submit an application to the Cross Cultural Academic Advancement Center by May 14.

The counselors, representing Isleta Pueblo, the Pueblo of Jemez, Tesuque Pueblo, Casa Grande Arizona and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribe toured campus between admissions and financial aid workshops. They also sat down with Texas Tech faculty and administrators during a lunch at Skyviews Restaurant.

The goal of the visit: to excite the counselors about the institute and convince them to begin encouraging students to attend – a step toward increasing Native American enrollment on campus, said Martha Mouret-Sanders, event coordinator for the Cross Cultural Academic Center.

“Texas Tech has placed an emphasis on recruiting Native American students,” she said. “And NASBI is a great way to introduce potential students to campus and give them the tools for pursuing higher education.”

Yolanda Walker, education director for the Wichita Tribe in Oklahoma, was one of the visitors.

She said her son has attended NASBI twice and enjoyed the program so much he chose Texas Tech over two other schools.

“We enjoyed the tour,” she said.  “Campus is beautiful, and my son loves this school. He has been treated very well through the NASBI program.”

See what Walker had to say about the NASBI program.