Facilitating a College Visit
My Role
Exposing my students to this opportunity was of particular importance and personal significance. I selected UCLA for our college visit for three reasons. The first reason was because of its accessibility. UCLA, as well as all other UC campuses, offer the Blue and Gold Scholarship that guarantees that all California residents whose family makes less than $80,000 in annual income will not pay tuition. I applied to many colleges but only one college was financially feasible for me. The UC Blue and Gold Scholarship made college possible for me, it covered my tuition and books during the entirety of my undergraduate career. This scholarship will make higher education accessible to my students, over 80% of my students are classified as low income and come from working-class families. For most of students if they attend college they will be first-generation college students and this trip will allow them to develop a foundational understanding of higher education and the application process. Additionally, UCLA is a Hispanic serving institution (more than 25% of the study body identifies as Hispanic) this is particularly important for my students who are a majority Latinx; they will be able to find and join a community of people with similar experiences. The second reason I selected UCLA was that it allows my students to receive the college experience while still having the option to live at home with family and save money. UCLA is approximately 30 minutes from the area my students live in. The final reason I selected UCLA was because of its reputation and plethora of majors offered. UCLA is consistently ranked among the best schools in the nation and offers a robust selection of majors where every student can find a degree that interests them. Attending UCLA will substantially increase my students' access and open many doors for them particularly in the Los Angeles area by giving my students access to incredible faculty, resources, and programs. This college visit is one critical first step towards pushing my students down a path full of opportunity. My charter network is based on the premise of developing scholars that college-ready and states that 80% of Camino Nuevo graduates will attend college, this trip sets young students on a trajectory to complete that goal.
This is my outreach to UCLA Club Tour to schedule my college visit. I could not schedule the initial date I was looking for do to the current high demand for college visits. Fortunately, I was able to find an alternative date that worked and scheduled the college visit for my 90 students for February 20th.
This is the confirmation I received from UCLA Club Tours. The tour will last approximately 90 minutes, followed by a lunch break, and concluding with a scavenger hunt that I planned. While on UCLA's campus I will show students resources they can take advantage of if they attend school here, such as the Student Resource Building, CAPS, LGTQ Center, Career Center, and the Education Opportunity Program Building. These resources will help students adjust to college life more easily and prepare them for graduation.
This artifact is an email for my administration confirming the logistics for the college visit I planned. Two bussed were ordered to transport 90 students to UCLA. Students are receiving free cold lunches provided by the school eliminating the need for students to bring money on the trip.
This artifact is the prework my students completed before our college visit. The objective of the prework was to get students to find and explore majors at UCLA. This prework will ensure my students are able to take full advantage of their college visit because the prework has students develop some background knowledge on UCLA prior to our visit. As students completed the prework in class they discussed parts of the campus they wanted to see, organizations that interested them, and classes they would like to enroll in. The final question on the prework asks students to describe the benefits of attending a college visit. Students were able to articulate the personal benefits they will individually receive from attending the trip. Preparing students prior to the trip is necessary so that when the resource presents itself they are successfully able to navigate it independently.
Impact on Students
The prework my students completed before our college visit to UCLA pushed them to explore and connect with the University. This prework ensured my students are able to take full advantage of their college visit because the prework has students develop some background knowledge on UCLA prior to our visit. While on the campus tour students participated in an Amazing Race style activity that introduced them to landmarks and valuable student resources on UCLA's campus. This activity allowed my students to briefly experience what life as a UCLA bruin would be like, below is a PDF of my students' handout on the trip.
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This artifact is the handout that I distributed to students while on the college visit. This activity is an Amazing Race style scavenger hunt that introduces students to UCLA landmarks and student resources in a fun and engaging way.
This artifact is a picture of the group I was responsible for chaperoning beginning their tour with their UCLA student and tour guide. The tour is approximately 90 minutes and provides students with information about majors, applying, student clubs, and student resources.
This artifact is a picture of my student group in front of Royce Hall which is UCLA's most famous building. Royce Hall houses UCLA's largest lecture hall and contains their psychological and brain science department which is UCLA's biggest and most popular major. My students loved the design of this building as well as UCLA's overall campus appearance. UCLA's reputation, closeness to home, and beautiful campus were the three most common reasons my students expressed when I asked why they would apply to UCLA.
Early exposure to college can motivate students to do better academically, sets them on a trajectory towards higher educations, and informs students about the application process and requirements from a young age. This college visit opened doors for my students because it introduced them to an accessible higher education degree. UCLA, as well as all other UC campuses, offer the Blue and Gold Scholarship that guarantees that all California residents whose family makes less than $80,000 in annual income will not pay tuition. This scholarship will make higher education possible for my students as most of my students would qualify for this scholarship. UCLA is a Hispanic serving institution this is particularly important for my students who are a majority Latinx; they will be able to find and join a community of people with similar experiences. UCLA is consistently ranked among the best universities in the nation and offers a substantial selection of majors where every student can find a degree that fits them. Attending UCLA will substantially increase my students' access to a plethora of world-renown faculty members while earning a degree that will distinguish them from other college graduates.
This college visit was beneficial to my students because it illustrated to my students what higher education is, how it is accessible, and the benefits of earning an advanced degree. While all of my students are from the Los Angeles area few of them had previously been to UCLA and this trip gave them the opportunity to see all of the resources that UCLA has to offer. Following the conclusion of the college visit, many students identified that they wanted to apply to UCLA which is a change from the prework students completed. In class behavior has changed since we have returned from the field trip. Students have demonstrated a newfound motivation; demerits have decreased by 15%, missing assignments have been made up, and classwork completion is increasing. These changes are a result of the college visit, my students have become more motivated because they were able to see what they are working towards. Based on teacher and student feedback from the event my administration has decided to make this college visit a lasting field trip. This trip and my instructional materials have been integrated into the 6th-grade curriculum for future years so that my school will continue to increase students' access by exploring them to meaningful opportunities.