Thank you for supporting the Neighborhood Longhorns Program during the 24-hour Amplify Austin campaign between March 4 and March 5^th!

Forty-one people contributed $2,075 to NLP!

It was a phenomenal day for local nonprofits and we are grateful for your support. Together, we raised a total of $2.8 million for programs like Free Minds and Neighborhood Longhorns, which will help to keep our important education programs thriving.

Like many Neighborhood Longhorn Program (NLP) alumni, Marzavia Crayton ended up at The University of Texas at Austin. But he also ended up with a $20,000 scholarship to attend UT. Crayton is now a senior majoring in Human Relations within the College of Communications and looking forward to graduate school and a career in Human Resources.

Although he doesn’t remember exactly how he became involved with NLP at Kealing Middle School, Crayton remembers thinking about college and paying attention to academics early on because of the program. “When I started high school, everything was more of a review for me,” he said. “It was easier for me to catch on than for students who were learning the material for the first time.”

While in NLP, the workshops were his favorite part of the program. “Not only did you get a chance to learn information early but you got exposed to college more and met peers who felt the same way.”

From NLP, he entered the UT Outreach-Austin program and the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) at LBJ High School. Now at UT, he volunteers with NLP. He helps out on an as-needed basis when workshops or visits are held on campus. He often participates on panels for the visiting students, telling them about what it is like to attend the university. Crayton says the first question he always gets is “Is it fun to be in college?” He tells them to take care of academics first. “The fun comes along with that once you have your priorities taken care of,” he says. He also notes that although younger students may not always listen to adults, they look up to the UT students.

As he has been volunteering since his freshman year, he sees many of the same NLP students each year. “It has been fun seeing how the kids remember me,” Crayton says. “The most heartfelt moments are when a kid comes up to me and says ‘aren’t you the guy who…..?’ That means a lot. I made an impact on somebody.”

Amir Emamian has been involved with the Neighborhood Longhorns Program (NLP) for most of his life. As a third-grader at Winn Elementary School in Northeast Austin, he joined other students at his school by participating in reading challenges and visiting the University of Texas at Austin for special events.

When in middle school, he remained involved with the program even though his school was not participating in NLP. Instead, he participated through the NLP office, which supports about 150-200 students each year whose schools aren’t part of the program. As a UT Austin student majoring in Health Promotion and Fitness, he was a student worker in the NLP office.

Now as an NLP program specialist, Amir remains enthusiastic about the program and its mission. He and program specialist Jeff Jones visit schools regularly. They conduct assemblies and attend events like “Coffee with the Principal” to promote the program to parents and let them know it is never too early to start thinking about a college education for their children. Amir and Jeff also help oversee the work of volunteer tutors, occasionally tutoring themselves.

“Most of our kids live across I-35; they have never been on campus. They come to campus and see students like them. They think, ‘he looks like me he did this, why can’t I do that?’ It makes coming to UT a realistic goal instead of an unobtainable one,” said Amir.

Many students, he said, have never seen a statue before and are astounded to see many on campus. He explained that most students after visiting campus love to point out UT Austin landmarks that are visible in East Austin to their parents. “They have confidence after visiting campus,” Amir said. “We make it accessible and not as overwhelming.”

Although NLP makes it fun for students to earn high marks by rewarding them with visits to campus for sports and other events and offering scholarship money, there is more to the program.

“What I like the best is not that we are giving them something,” said Amir. “But we show them reading 5-10 books isn’t that big of a deal. They learn to love reading instead of wanting something in return.”

There are two things no sports program can do without: athletes and fans. By the early 1990s, the UT Athletics Department had reason to worry about losing them both. Like many universities in Texas, a significant number of UT’s student athletes were African American. But historically UT’s overall enrollment of underrepresented or underserved students had been smaller than most of its neighbors. When new African American student enrollment fell in 1991, Longhorn student athletes joined the public in crying foul at the racist message this disparity sent.

Jody Conradt, then head coach of UT’s beloved Lady Longhorn basketball team, looks back on that painful time. “We had big problems. UT was just not seen as a welcoming place, particularly in communities of color. It hit morale and recruiting hard. We really needed to reach out and show that we cared.”

The Neighborhood Longhorns Program (NLP), devised by Conradt and colleagues Tom Penders, Donna Lopiano, and DeLoss Dodds in 1991, has done much to bridge the gap between UT and the communities that it wants to engage—one child at a time.

Now, nearly 20 years later, NLP thrives as a part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement under the guidance of Director Celina Ruiz-Snowden. Ruiz-Snowden explained, “DDCE’s support of our program demonstrates the commitment the university has made to providing educational opportunities to the youth in the community by integrating the Neighborhood Longhorns Program into a division that focuses on accessibility and collaboration.”

Through an innovative partnership with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) and UT Athletics, NLP presents students in grades two through eight enrolled in Title I schools with tangible incentives to better their academic achievement. Centered on Longhorn sports, these incentives allow young achievers to do everything from attend games to hang out with coaches and student athletes. A powerful draw for sure, but there’s more to it. NLP incentives are designed to both inspire kids to do their best and to create opportunities for them to experience The University of Texas at Austin firsthand.

While NLP opens the door to higher education for many students who have never stepped foot on a college campus, they’re not the only ones who benefit from the program, according to UT’s Director of Women’s Athletics, Christine Plonsky. She explained:

“The Neighborhood Longhorns Program is good for all of UT today, not just athletics. It inspires and incentivizes youngsters to establish the work ethic and discipline necessary to make the dream of a college education a reality. It is this type of community impact that is expected—indeed, demanded—from a university of the first class.”

Since 1991, NLP has touched the lives of 55,300 of Austin Title I students. In the 2008–2009 school year alone, NLP provided 5,230 students with the incentives, support, and encouragement they needed to achieve their educational goals. In addition to the cheers and high fives received by all, 87 percent of these students also earned better grades on their report cards. Among them were many proud members of Cheryl Gibson’s fifth-grade class at Zavala Elementary. NLP has been a vital part of the classroom for 18 of the 28 years Gibson has taught at Zavala, and she’s been impressed by the program’s inclusiveness:

“There are plenty of programs just for kids who excel or struggle. What I like about Neighborhood Longhorns is that everyone is involved. There are lots of events where all Neighborhood Longhorns can go, just as long as they meet the goals the school and I have set for them. Kids who can do more, get to do more. But this is not a program that tells kids who are trying their best that they are not wanted if they don’t have straight A’s.”

This respect for individualism is a byproduct of NLP’s commitment to hands-on support, as Ruiz-Snowden is quick to point out. “We don’t just call up a school and say here’s 50 tickets to a basketball game, get me 50 kids. We work with principals and teachers at each school to understand their specific educational goals and how NLP can help. We don’t tell schools what to do or dictate standards. We’re there to help, not reinvent the wheel.”

Perhaps the most visible difference resulting from this one-to-one approach to educational support is the one that UT students and student athletes make as volunteer NLP tutors. Whether they are helping with homework or helping to build self-esteem, these UT role models learn firsthand how a little time and a few kind words can change a kid forever.

Here’s how Amir Emamian, a former NLP participant, later a volunteer student tutor, and now a full-time NLP Program Specialist, sums it up: “When I was in the third grade, the Neighborhood Longhorns Program made The University of Texas a reality for me. By becoming an NLP tutor I had the privilege of giving back. The NLP experience is not just talking about college, it’s about proving that it can really happen.”

In the fall of 2010 Melissa Alvarez was one of nearly 8,000 freshmen to arrive at The University of Texas at Austin. For Alvarez, as for many other Austinites, the path that led her to pursue higher education was one paved in part by the Neighborhood Longhorns Program (NLP), an initiative of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.

Since 1991, the Neighborhood Longhorns Program (NLP) has collaborated with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) to serve more than 71,000 students in 30 Title 1 elementary and middle schools. The program aims to provide economically disadvantaged students in grades 2-8 with resources and support to increase academic success and make a college education an achievable goal.

“Participating in the Neighborhood Longhorns Program really granted me the opportunity to experience a perspective on college life at an early age,” Alvarez said. “The experiences that I had with this program and the connections it gave me made it easier for me to choose to attend UT because it was already familiar to me. In many ways, I feel that this program has had a positive impact on my education because it has shown me that pursuing a higher education after high school is possible with hard work and dedication,” she said, adding that the program not only motivated her to set higher goals for herself but also prepared her to achieve them.

“The beauty of the Neighborhood Longhorns Program is providing college exposure to students as early as seven years of age,” said NLP Executive Director Celina Ruiz-Snowden. “We believe the earlier we can plant the seed of academic success with our students, the better prepared they will be in their academic career.”

NLP began through a partnership between UT Athletics and Austin ISD, when leaders in the university athletics community noticed flagging minority enrollment rates. The program’s strategy is uniquely comprehensive:  from connecting students with tutors and engaging them in educational incentive programs to exposing students to college at an early age, NLP works to ensure that students who are at a higher risk of experiencing academic difficulties are given the tools they need for academic success and encouraged with incentives tied to Longhorn athletics programs.

NLP also enables students to earn scholarship funds throughout their time in the program, helping students not only to envision themselves in higher education but to play an active role in realizing this future. “The generosity of our NLP donor community provides assistance for students who have completed our program and are entering The University of Texas at Austin by matching the scholarship amount earned in our program,” Snowden-Ruiz explained.

Cindy Lind is a strong supporter of NLP’s inspiring work. Not only has she served as chair of the NLP board, she is also the president of the Lind Family Foundation, which supports the success of NLP students by awarding annual scholarships to college-going alumni of the program.

“We serve over five thousand students in this program,” said Lind. “I feel very strongly that every child—every one—deserves an opportunity for a good education, and that is what this program does.”

In 2010 the Lind Family Foundation awarded $5,000 in scholarships to five outstanding former Neighborhood Longhorn students, including Alvarez.

“Receiving a $1,500 Lind Family Foundation Scholarship was definitely a wonderful experience for me,” Alvarez said.

“When I first enrolled in the Neighborhood Longhorns Program I was 8 years old,” said Alvarez, who was at the time a third grader at Zavala Elementary in East Austin. Alvarez’s three siblings were also involved in the program, and both her older sister and older brother went on to graduate from The University of Texas at Austin.

Alvarez was involved in the unique university outreach program through eighth grade, and still remembers the many events, field trips, and banquets the program hosted to get students excited about college. These included expeditions to The University of Texas campus and events with student athletes and university coaches who work with and mentor NLP students.

“When I look back to all these events I participated in, I would say that the ones that will always stand out in my memory would definitely be the chance I got to meet coach Mack Brown at the Lunch with the Coach event I attended in the fourth grade, and my first time setting foot inside Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium to join everyone in celebration of our 2005 National Championship victory,” she said.