MSU Extension 4-H Careers & Entrepreneurship

Working with the community, Michigan State University Extension staff often receive questions from parents and caregivers about the journey into college. Families want to understand the next steps after acceptance and feel confident in supporting their child, yet language barriers can make navigating the college process challenging. This brief Q&A will provide parents and caregivers with helpful insights and key information to support their children during this important transition.

To address this topic, I spoke with Florensio Hernandez, assistant director for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Undergraduate Office of Admissions at MSU. Together, we covered essential steps for families, from managing paperwork and financial aid to important deadlines and available resources.

In the first part of our conversation, we explore his background, his role in admissions and the meaningful ways he connects with families to guide them through the college journey.

Q: Can you introduce yourself?

A: My name is Florensio Hernandez. I have 17 years of higher education experience, specifically working with enrollment services at MSU. My hometown is Lansing and I attended a local public high school, Lansing Eastern High School. I am also a first-generation college student, meaning, I was the first one in my immediate family to attend college. I have a bachelor's degree and a master’s degree from MSU.  I am bicultural and identify as a Chicano/Latino with Mexican heritage who is bilingual and proud of my roots.

Q: Can you describe your role in the Office of Admissions at MSU and how it involves working with underrepresented audiences?

A: When people ask me what I do or what my title is, I usually say, I am a recruiter or an admissions counselor. One of the things that I love about my job is that I get to do outreach and attend community functions and events.

My role in the Office of Admissions entails meeting with prospective students, traveling to high schools in the fall, reviewing first-year applications, and developing campus programs for prospective and admitted students. In my role, I visit over 80 high schools that I am assigned to as the lead MSU representative. These schools are in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Ingham counties, a good mix of different school districts.

Here at MSU, we have onsite admissions opportunities where we focus on underserved high schools where we might not get a lot of interest or applicants. Those are the schools we work with to do an MSU Onsite Admissions program. All seniors are encouraged to complete their MSU application and sign-up for an onsite interview with an admissions counselor so they can get their application decision that same day, on the spot.

Q: What motivated you to pursue this career path? 

A: I attended MSU as an undergraduate and worked in the Office of Admissions as a student assisting with Latino recruitment and Dia de la Familia. I did not have any plans to go into higher education, I majored in political science pre-law and just happened to be back from a summer opportunity in Washington, D.C. and heard about the job opening for my position in the Office of Admissions. I applied, got an interview and the job, then moved to downtown Detroit to begin working in the Detroit Center office. My main job duties in this position were to recruit Latinx students from southwest Detroit and downriver, attend community events, encourage students to apply, and answer any questions they or their family may have about the admissions process or how to finance their education and scholarships.

Q: From your experience in the Office of Admissions, what aspects do you think are most important for families to understand and address after university acceptance? 

A: Creating a realistic list of colleges and universities your student is seriously considering and narrowing that list down to 3-5 schools. Once a student is accepted to a university, they have time to make their decision of acceptance. Usually, there will be a deposit that needs to be paid, which alerts the university that the student is seriously considering attending. The advanced enrollment deposit (AED) can vary from $50 to $250 and is usually advised to be submitted 4-6 weeks after the offer of admission to hold the student’s space for the fall cohort. The AED is 100% refundable prior to May 1.

Scholarships and financial aid are another very important topic that should be completed right away! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be completed by all students wanting to attend college.

While my conversation with Hernandez is specific to MSU, it’s important to mention that the admission process is similar at many universities. MSU Extension recommends contacting the college’s admissions office directly and following each step carefully. If language is a barrier, ask for translation services or special accommodations to help make communication easier.

Remember, your involvement and encouragement make a big difference in your child’s journey to college. Take things one step at a time and don’t hesitate to reach out for assistance or resources along the way. You’re not alone in this process—there are people and services ready to help you succeed.

Be sure to check out Part 2 of this series of articles for more conversation with Hernandez. 

MSU Extension creates opportunities and builds knowledgeable communities to make Michigan a strong, prosperous and great state to live in. At MSU Extension, we understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential elements to our work and are vital to the organizational culture and programmatic success. To learn more about engaging with Hispanic/Latinx and other underrepresented audiences, please contact Patricia Monterrosa, MSU Extension 4-H educator (Chispa 4-H).