Right before the winter break on Friday, Dec. 15, Provost Deborah Bordelon, Dean José Ricardo-Osorio, and members of the Office of the President and the Division of Student Success and Student Life headed over to HISD’s Dogan Elementary in Fifth Ward. Together, they served lunch to the teachers while Dean Ricardo-Osorio taught them how to salsa dance. The 400 students, who were treated to pizza, goodies, and a presentation on the importance of college, went wild when Ed-U-Gator made an appearance alongside some of UHD’s cheerleaders and Gatorettes.
The festivities kicked off UHD’s partnership with Dogan Elementary as part of HISD’s The Houston Promise, an initiative for all HISD schools to be A- or B-rated by August 2027, demonstrating UHD’s commitment to making higher education accessible to all residents in the greater Houston area and beyond.
UHD will continue its partnership in 2026 with beautification efforts at Dogan Elementary as part of GatorServe’s MLK National Day of Service, another student appreciation event in March, and a teacher professional development event led by UHD’s Urban Education Department in June.