Las Vegas High School junior Shaelyn Eguchi-Fernandez, 16, attends a UNLV event to help Hispanic students learn about resources on campus, Friday, March 8, 2019.
Saturday, March 9, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Shaelyn Eguchi-Fernandez is one of eight children in her family. The 16-year-old Las Vegas High junior plans to be the first to attend college.
She was one of about 250 local Hispanic students who on Friday visited UNLV, getting an intimate look at student life and seeing why the university earns high marks for its diversity efforts.
Students took a tour, interacted with staff, were introduced to campus resources like The Intersection, a program that supports first-generation or minority students, and met members of student organizations like Future Latinos in Medicine and Latino Youth Leadership Alumni.
“I study as hard as I can and that’s why I’m here to look at how many options I have at this school,” Eguchi-Fernandez said.
U.S. News & World Report’s annual listing of the nation’s most diverse universities for undergraduates ranks UNLV at the top. Visits such as Friday’s are a reason why, said Vishal Sharma, the events and tours coordinator for UNLV’s Office of Admissions.
“We want to not only get students to enroll here but also graduate here,” Sharma said. “It’s important to let students of color and first-generation students be at these kinds of events because a lot of them might not have stepped foot on campus.”
Sharma, who was also a first-generation college student, can relate to the struggles of teens like Eguchi-Fernandez.
“I have more family members that have stepped inside a jail cell than on a college campus,” he said. “I want to be able to provide students opportunities that I was never given.”
This was the last of 12 events where UNLV hosted local students by funding the buses and lunches to remove any financial barriers students may have. A similar event was held in February for black students.
“When we talk about underserved populations in our valley and nationally, it’s no secret that African-American and (Hispanic) students haven’t gotten the same treatment, opportunity and access,” he said. “It’s about showing them the opportunity and resources available to them at UNLV, and instead of just telling students of color go use these resources, the goal is to present those resources to them.”
