CTN hosted the second of our new Monthly Student Charla zoom sessions on February 25 at 1pm. The charla was titled “Explore from Home: Virtual Tour of Texas State University.” Ariel Flores, ACC Advisor, welcomed the participants and then Stacy Ybarra, CTN Director of Student Engagement, led the tour. Ybarra also shared some weather-related resources for students who might have been impacted by the recent snow storm and loss of electricity and water. Next, former ACC Ascender student, Diana Martinez, shared her experiences as a Texas State student and answered questions from participants. She was asked how the Ascender program helped her and she replied, “When I first entered the program, I was very shy, but being part of the Ascender family helped me get out of my comfort zone.” Her advice to future students and obstacles in their path was “I took a semester off because of finances. I worked, and I decided I was going to ask for help if I needed because there’s nothing wrong with asking for help.  I have always felt that education is an asset. No one is going to take that away from you.”

Then CTN CEO, Dr. Chavez spoke to the students and told them to “know that you’re not alone; you have familia.” Announcements were made and door prizes were awarded.