Love from the TCU family

Cristina Ramos '04 loves this time of year.

As program coordinator for Inclusiveness and Intercultural Services, Ramos takes extra measure that international students and students of color feel like TCU is their home. After all, she was in the same position a few years ago as a Horned Frog undergrad.

"At this point of the semester, a lot of students, even some of my roommates, were getting care packages from home or from people they knew," says Ramos, who is a first generation college graduate. "I didn't. And many minority and international students don't. But we want them to feel like they're getting love from the TCU family."

So Ramos and a crew of volunteers have spent the last few days assembling about 850 gift bags, which contain juices, fruit, granola bars, nuts, popcorn, candy and a little note wishing them good luck on finals. It's a program that dates back to the early 1990s.

Ramos emailed the 800-some students in the program, letting them know that a bag would be delivered to their dorm. Or, if they couldn't wait on the munchies, to come by and pick one up.

"It's just another way to show that we care about our students and want them to succeed," she says. "Everybody needs a little extra push around finals."

- Rick