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Participants talk with community college, university and human resources representatives during UM-Dearborn's annual On the Move event.

ÿ�մ��� is gearing up to host its annual “On the Move: College is an Option” event, a free one-day college access workshop that offers support and practical advice for metro area adults interested in beginning, returning to, or continuing their college education, particularly those with financial need. Accompanied by volunteer mentors, participants attend a college course, listen to a panel discussion with a broad range of nontraditional students who share their own college experiences, and receive information about applying, registering, and paying for college. Representatives from local community colleges, universities, and human service organizations will staff informational tables.

Alumna Beverly Alexander, a division manager with the Detroit Recreation Department, will speak at the event. Alexander has the distinction of being the first graduate of UM-Dearborn’s Student Outreach and Academic Resources (SOAR) program, a specialized academic support program for returning adult students. She also is a licensed and ordained minister, motivational speaker, and author who has devoted nearly 25 years working with high-risk girls and young women, inspiring them to overcome personal adversities.

“‘On the Move’ offers encouragement and practical advice for nontraditional prospective students seeking a pathway to begin, return to, or complete their college education,” said Ellen Judge-Gonzalez, coordinator of the event and director of UM-Dearborn’s SOAR program. “For 18 years, this outreach effort has brought together area universities, community colleges and human service organizations with one common goal: to improve the lives of those in our metropolitan area who need it most through access to education.”

“On the Move” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at the campus’s Fairlane Center North Building, 19000 Hubbard Drive.