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They are mechanics and artists, musicians and athletes, tutors and coaches and, above all, students.

They plan to be engineers, doctors, chefs, lawyers, pharmacists, entrepreneurs, teachers, police officers, veterinarians and orthodontists.

They are 38 high school seniors from Southern Arizona, young black men with grade point averages of 3.0 or above, honored Saturday by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Alpha Phi Alpha, a black fraternity founded in 1906 at Cornell University, emphasizes academic excellence and community service. It started the awards program 35 years ago when members saw young black men being honored for their athletic achievements but not for their academic accomplishments.

Those academic accomplishments took center stage at Saturday's luncheon at the University of Arizona Student Union.

"We want to let you know how important it is," said Richard Davis, the fraternity's secretary and master of ceremonies of Saturday's event. "We want you to know we're there for you. You've achieved an important goal, but you still have a long way to go."

Brent Chrite, associate dean of the Eller College of Management at the UA, gave the keynote address. He told the young men they would face more challenges than their white peers and they would need perseverance as much as intelligence or talent.

Describing the attitude he took toward his own academic career, he said: "I may not be the smartest guy in the room, but I will outwork anyone in the room."

He praised the students for working hard and making plans for the future in the midst of a culture that celebrates fame.

"Many young people think they can grab the brass ring of wealth through natural talent and celebrity, whether through sports, music or good looks," he said. "They are as mistaken as those who think they will get rich playing the lottery."

He urged the students to learn basics like accounting that would serve them in many professions, to read widely and critically and to get outside their comfort zones.

Andrew Okonya, student body president at Ironwood Ridge High School, said attending a school with a small minority population, he hadn't expected to be recognized as a young black man. But it was exciting to be in the same room with so many others like himself.

"I know that everyone here is focused," he said. "I expect to make some good contacts by the end of the afternoon."

Okonya, who was born in Kenya and raised in the United States, said he plans to study medicine, though he doesn't know what his specialty will be.

"It's good to be recognized, good to know that someone is watching," said Fouche Smith, a senior at University High School who plans to study chemical engineering at the UA.