Vollmer is Passionate about Generation TX

by Denisha Stevens, Vollmer Public Relations Dallas

One of the great things about working at Vollmer is the fact that we have the opportunity to take part in programs that we are especially passionate about.  Today that special program is Generation TX (GenTX).

We are working with Milkshake Media, an Austin-based brand agency, to support the campaign by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to foster a college-going culture in the state.  To understand the challenge and why we are so fired up about this assignment, consider these statistics:

• Texas has a population where 20 percent of residents over 25 have failed to complete high school and only 55 percent of students go to college.
• A high percentage of the public school students in Texas will be the first in their family to pursue college or career education beyond high school.
• Studies show that a college graduate will have $1 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school dropout.

It’s safe to assume that many of us wouldn’t be in our current professions if we hadn’t had the opportunity to pursue a college education or specialized training after high school.  Where would we be today if we’d had difficulty making our way through the application process or failed to find a way to pay for tuition?  The GenTX initiative has been created to help students overcome these obstacles.

Through a variety of grassroots tactics, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is asking community organizations and leaders to engage students and then connect them and their families to the resources   they  need to prepare for, apply to and pay for college and career education beyond high school.  The program will be launched in the pilot markets of Fort Worth and San Antonio this fall, with plans to reach out to additional markets in the future. 

We invite you to learn more at www.GenTX.org and check back frequently to watch the program take shape in the coming months.  Likewise, we invite you to do your part to reach out to students in your community to share this important resource.  After all, educating the next generation of Texans is something we all should be passionate about.