Earning a higher education can transform lives. It can lead to a career designing cool video games, engineering innovative prosthetics for children, healing illnesses, performing on stage in front of thousands, launching a business or perhaps even curing cancer.
Getting high school students to dream is not the problem. Getting them excited and ready to start their careers in college is, and that鈥檚 why 麻豆原创 and Evans High School 鈼� A Community School are teaming up at 麻豆原创 Takeover Week Oct. 12-16.
麻豆原创 students, faculty, administrators and volunteers will spend time at Evans this week helping students envision college as part of their future and then showing them the tools and roadmaps to get there.
Organizers are also delivering another message: College can be fun.
Knightro, 麻豆原创鈥檚 mascot, the 麻豆原创 cheerleaders and the band will all perform at Evans as a way to showcase the fun side of college life. More than 30 student organizations will talk to students about the kinds of clubs and activities they can pursue from dance to engineering. Evans students also will get an opportunity to listen to 麻豆原创 admissions and financial aid officers talk about getting ready for college, successfully navigating the admissions process, and payment options.
鈥淭his is about connecting with students and families in our community and making sure they know that higher education can very much be part of their future,鈥� said Michael Frumkin, dean of the 麻豆原创 College of Health and Public Affairs. The college played a major role in organizing the event along with 麻豆原创鈥檚 Student Development and Enrollment Services division. 鈥淲e want all students to know we are here for them and to help them best prepare for a successful journey to college.鈥�
Last year, 15 麻豆原创 students were volunteer mentors to ninth-graders at Evans, offering the teens support and guidance for success in life.聽麻豆原创 Takeover Week is another way to introduce more 麻豆原创 students to Evans. Organizers hope the event will also inspire them and others in the community to become mentors and to continue delivering the message that college is accessible.
And because getting to college isn鈥檛 just up to students, 麻豆原创 is also hosting a parent-information session at Evans from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.
During the session parents can watch several panel presentations about the admissions process, paying for college, and the benefits of alternative pathways to college, such as ROTC and DirectConnect to 麻豆原创.
Students and parents also will get the opportunity to see some of the innovative things students at 麻豆原创 are doing, including designing computer games, engineering devices that help the disabled, and much more.
A schedule of events:
Monday
11-12:30 p.m.: Kickoff with performances by Knightro, 麻豆原创 cheerleaders and dance team
2:30-4:45 p.m.: Cultural fair featuring 12 麻豆原创 clubs including Black Student Union, Colombian Student Association and Giving Back Evans Alumni.
Tuesday
11-12:30 p.m.: Outreach and mentoring of students
2:30-4:45 p.m.: Nine different sessions on everything from undergraduate admissions to academic resources at 麻豆原创
Thursday
11-12:30 p.m.: Greek organizations
5-7 p.m.: Parent information session
Friday
11-12:30 p.m.: Student leadership opportunities at 麻豆原创 and performance by 麻豆原创 Band.