Houston, TX June 20, 2005

Rice MBA Project GRAD Class for High School Students

Jose Levya knew it was going to be an interesting summer. Instead of working the usual summer job like most other high-school students Levya, a John Reagan High School senior, has been analyzing stocks, writing business plans and rubbing elbows with some of the most prominent names in Houston business; all this in addition to earning himself a $4,000 college scholarship.

Levya and 24 other high-school students are taking a month of their summer to participate in the Project GRAD summer institute, Money and Business 101, this June. Hosted by Rice University's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management and taught by Jones School faculty the institute aims to educate students about the stock and lending markets as well as provide an introduction to many general business topics such as brand-marketing and business planning.

When they successfully complete the institute, the students are one step closer to obtaining a $4,000 college scholarship from Project GRAD, a sum that will enable many of them to attend college.

“The primary goal of this program is to change expectations and aspirations,” says Barbara Ostdiek, Associate Professor of Management and Money and Business 101 coordinator. “We want to focus on giving these students exposure to business in general and we want to broaden their expectations of career paths that are possible for them.”

Many of the students are already aspiring to go into business, some as accountants, some as entrepreneurs and others as presidents and CEOs.

“We all dream of running our own business someday,” said Sam Houston High School senior Vanessa Rodriguez. “Nobody wants to work for someone else for the rest of their life.”

Project GRAD is a non-profit, organization dedicated to increasing high school and college graduation rates in under-served communities. Originating in Houston in 1995, Project GRAD has worked with students, parents, teachers and administrators to help improve public education. The program focuses on the five H.I.S.D. high schools with the lowest graduation rates and their corresponding feeder schools. Students who attend these schools are largely minorities living in economically-disadvantaged areas. Through teacher training, increased parental involvement and student programs, Project GRAD hopes to increase high-school graduation rates to 80 percent and enable 50 percent of those graduates to attend and complete college.

Money and Business 101 is just one of seven summer institutes offered to Project GRAD participants. Students who complete two summer institutes, along with other program requirements, are eligible to receive a $4,000 scholarship to help supplement the cost of attending college. As of this date Project GRAD has awarded more than 2,400 scholarships to graduating Houston seniors.