Seniors at Carl Wunsche Sr. High School gathered in that school’s cafeteria Thursday morning, with only 40 school days left until graduation. With only a few months until the big day, they are busy preparing — ordering caps and gowns, getting ready for finals and end-of-course exams, applying for colleges and financial aid.
But on Thursday, students were focused on the University of Houston – Downtown, which was on campus to talk about UHD and all it offers. Several Wunsche seniors have already selected UHD as their college of choice, and submitted applications earlier this year. A few dozen of them were surprised at the event with official letters of acceptance. One senior, Zoe Walton, even walked away with a $1,000 scholarship from the university.
“We’re so excited this time of year to see all the accomplishments that these students have made in the last four years,” Dr. Deborah Jensen, Spring ISD Board of Trustees members, said. “We are so proud of all of them, and I hope that in the future they will come back and tell us what they’ve been able to do with their education here in Spring ISD.”
Members of the enrollment, recruitment, and admissions teams from UHD were on hand to give away prizes, swag bags, and tell the students more about the school. They focused on affordability, accessibility, and achievability on the campus, which offers more than 40 majors with classes on the main campus in downtown Houston as well as on Lone Star College campuses across the city.
They also discussed campus life, including a new recreational facility at UHD.
Every spring, UHD hosts events at schools across the area that are identified as top feeder high schools. This year, Wunsche High School was identified as one of those schools. The Vice President of Enrollment Management at UHD, Dr. Daniel Villanueva, told the students that higher education — wherever and whatever that looked like — was crucial to their success.
“All of you today are just a few weeks away from graduation, and you might find yourself exactly where I was 30 years ago,” Dr. Villanueva said. “No matter where you want to go, I encourage you to further your education — whether that’s a college or university, a technical school, or the armed services. But if you come to UHD, you can graduate with a degree of value and go into your chosen field confidently and ready to succeed.”