By the numbers

The LIFE program launched in 2012 with 87 participants. There were 304 applicants in 2017. Of that, 223 confirmed attendance and 187 actually attended. There were 332 applicants this year and 244 confirmations. Officials didn’t have the actual attendance number available Wednesday but anticipated it to be a record high. for teens and their families, Franklin said.

They also raise money for scholarships through community service projects, which Moreno highlighted about his role as a mentor.

“Doing that community service opened my eyes to seeing that I’m trying to give back, but at the same time, these people are giving back to me,” he said.

Moreno said he’s hoping to impart what college is like to his team members.

Ruby Vega, recent graduate of New Technology High School in Rogers, has participated in the program three summers and said the relationships she’s developed with mentors is a large reason she keeps coming back. She hopes to serve as a mentor next summer.

She learned through the program she could take college courses while still in high school, which she did her senior year.

“I always thought I was never going to go to college,” Vega said. “Really, it’s the LIFE program that made me want to come to college.”

She’s planning to study at the community college for two years before transfering to the University of Central Arkansas to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Many LIFE participants end up attending the community college, but the program encourages students to consider acquiring higher education in general, Franklin said.