Why Pre-College Programs Work For Kids From Under Resourced Communities
By Robert W. Andrews
During the fall of 2008, a
college representative from Williams along with colleagues from Amherst,
Wesleyan, Middlebury and Wellesley visited our program. It was their first
visit to the Schuler Scholar Program; prior to their arrival none of our scholars
applied or matriculated to these schools. It was a leap of faith for these
schools to make the trek up to Waukegan High School, well outside of their
usual Chicago recruiting byway. I remember feeling elated upon their arrival; I
was determined to speak with each school individually about our program and uncover
why they were intrigued to meet our scholars.
The representative from
Williams College said something decisive; it has become a guiding principal
over the years that distinguish Schuler Scholars from others with respect to
college matriculation. The representative stated that the greatest struggle his
college faced with diversity recruitment was retention. He noted that what
interested him most in our scholars was their prior experience away from home,
studying at a summer college program on a college campus. The experience, he
added, made our scholars better prepared for the transition to college life. I
realized how significant pre-college programs can be for first generation, low
income applicants; an indispensable life experience that will aid them in the college
admissions process.
After working with our
scholars for more than four years, I concur with the representative from
Williams College. The Summer College Program experience is one of the defining
moments for our scholars. It allows college to become a reality. Scholars are
exposed to new ideas, new peer groups, and college level coursework. They come
home with a new sense of purpose and confidence that is unmatched by almost any
other aspect of our program. Pre-college programs push scholars to broaden
their worldview and life perspectives.
Jocelyn Santiago (Waukegan
High School ’13) illustrates this point beautifully when reflecting on her experience
this summer at the Kenyon College’s Young Writer’s Workshop this summer.
“There is a certain level of idealism that goes into
the small liberal arts college experience. What we're told is that we'll be
surrounded by passionate lovers of learning. Our new peers will be from all
different walks of life and hopefully become family that we will be in contact
with long after our 4 years of college.
We are also told that we will have incredible teachers, far more amazing than
those in our current high schools.
Going to the Kenyon Review's Young Writers program has
made all of this more than just a fantasy. It made it a completely feasible
reality – almost a guarantee of sorts. At Kenyon, I fell in love with every
student. I was impressed by their abilities and even more so by their complete commitment
to immersing themselves into the program. I was made confident in my own abilities
by the environment. I couldn’t help but be lifted up. We were all selected for
being good at what we do and it showed. No longer was I one of a few, but now
part of the majority of kids interested in learning and growing.
In addition, there was support in every direction. In
fact, it was nearly impossible to find someone who was not more than willing to
lend an ear and give feedback on work. I indeed left with an extended family from
all over the world. All one hundred and four of us are bound together by our
experience at Kenyon. We have shared so much of ourselves in those two weeks
that it is unrealistic to believe that we won't make an effort to see each other
again. As for the staff, I have only one word: AWESOME. Each of our teachers
wrote and shared with us. Each of them was an incredibly hard working and impressive
writer. It was an experience designed by
incredible people for incredible people. It is everything I could have ever
hoped for and it was a reassurance that my pursuit of that special liberal arts
college experience will be worthwhile.”
To hear more reflections
on our Scholar’s Summer College Program experiences check out the links below to
video clips:
Erik Campos, (Round Lake
High School ’13) participated in Skidmore College’s Pre-College Program
Daniel Ocampo (Highland
Park High School ’13) participated in the Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovations
I’mani Sellers (Waukegan
High School ’13) participated in Brown University’s Pre College Program
Amy Valencia (Warren
Township High School ’13) participated in Washington University’s Pre-Med
Institute
These video clips were
taken at our annual Summer College Program event in November during which we host
representatives from summer programs across the country. To learn more about
our Summer College Program Event and how Summer College Programs partner with
the Schuler Scholar program, email Kim Michelson, Summer College Program
Manager, at kim@schulerprogram.org.
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