May 25, 2010

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The University of San Diego Men's Soccer team visited with individuals from the HerMano organization earlier this month. As a part of their campus trip, the Men's Soccer team provided an exclusive tour of their locker room and soccer field. They also demonstrated soccer fundamentals, moves, passing and juggling skills.

More importantly, they offered words of encouragement and presented a clear message, no matter what their background, their outlook is bright and their choices for the future are still wide open. To introduce and encourage youth to think about college and how to garner support from the various groups that come into play in a student's life such as family, schools, community organizations, and local universities is one of the ways we as an Athletic Department can support the educational aspirations of our youth.

HerMANO is a Latino Youth Mentorship Program dedicated to providing education, training, leadership development, mentoring and peer support to Latino males. In its inaugural year, the HerMANO program worked with 8th grade males from Promise Charter School to foster leadership and provide peer support for the classroom and the community. HerMANOs require that the student maintain a 2.5 GPA, participate in community service and complete a follow up assignment with their teachers on activities conducted through the program.