Unlocking Opportunity: College Tour
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After 18 years in Arizona, I spent four years going to college in Durham, North Carolina. I studied youth activism, the education system and public policy. When I graduated I thought I had an “understanding of the issues.” Having just completed my first year working as a college advisor in Durham Public Schools, I realized that my education was unable to teach me the in and outs of the Durham school experience the way my students did.
Here are the facts. Public schools in Durham overwhelmingly lack the resources to prepare their students to succeed in post-secondary education. In 2012 we were ranked 48th in the country for per-pupil funding. Fifty-six percent of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. In 2014, 47% of NC high school graduates met none of the four ACT readiness benchmarks to indicate they were prepared for college. When you Google news articles in Durham you will see an array of black and brown faces woven between words like shooting, killed, on the run, suspicious, gang violence suspected, and rape. Black and Hispanic students make up about 70% of population in Durham Public Schools. Not only are they trying to succeed in a struggling school system; they are attempting to outrun the stereotypes, news articles, and social perceptions of people that look like them.
Given this atmosphere it is not surprising that when you sit down and talk to some of our students about their potential they seem surprised, if not unbelieving. I tell them things like…
“College can be affordable.”
“You did not do what you needed to do this year, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot get to where you want to be.”
“It’s not too late.”
“You can do it.”
“Why aren’t you pushing yourself further?”
My students respond with stories of taking care of their siblings after-school and lacking the time for homework. They express fear due to their immigration status. Some talk about how the people around them expect them to fail and they see no point in arguing. Others are right at the borderline to greatness, but they did not realize that if they just pushed a little harder college could be paid for. They have learned to blend in, to meet the expectations of others, and to fight the battles that are immediately in front of them.
As their college advisor I bring in colleges, host workshops, work on test taking strategies, and conduct classroom presentations. These activities work to combat the college readiness problem, but it is not enough to make the opportunities real for them. Our students are capable, they have the resilience and the grit, but they need our help with the motivation and self-confidence to dream beyond their current circumstances. For kids that have dealt with harsh realities, being able to believe in something sometimes means being able to see it. That is why I am working to plan a multi-state unlocking opportunity college tour for the 2016/2017 school year.
This trip would take 40 high school students from The School for Creative Studies through three states to tour eleven different colleges during one week of their spring break in April of 2017. Our goal is to fully fund this trip so that it is an option for students regardless of the financial situation or family circumstances. At first glance, $30,000 sounds like a lot of money. However, when you break it down, that is only $30 from 1,000 people. It truly does take a village to raise a child and any contribution you make be it $1 or $1000 could help a student dream bigger and reach higher.
Thank you for taking the time to hear us out and on behalf of The School for Creative Studies and all of our high school students, I thank you for your support.
See below for full list of schools on our itinerary:
Morehouse University
Spelman University
Georgia State University
Florida A&M University
University of Florida
University of Central Florida
Bethune Cookman University
University of North Florida
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah State University
The Citadel
Your contributions will help to cover the costs for:
Food (Breakfast, lunch on college campuses, & dinner for 6 days)
Transportation (By charter bus from North Carolina to Orlando, Florida and back)
Lodging (Hotel stays for 5 nights)
Any additional funding will be used for cultural/historical immersion experiences and group entertainment
*We will need to be fully funded by March 1st, 2017 to make this trip a possibility.*
Additional Information:
Last year we were able to take 50 students to Washington, DC on a tour of 5 different colleges and the National Monuments in three days. Student feedback stated that they would like to spend more time on the road and more time at each college. In order to do this we extended the tour to a full week this year. Last year, it was primarily students and their families funded the trip. This was also a limitation we are working to combat by seeking funding early. Coming soon you will also be able to view video responses from the students that participated in the trip last year.
Here are the facts. Public schools in Durham overwhelmingly lack the resources to prepare their students to succeed in post-secondary education. In 2012 we were ranked 48th in the country for per-pupil funding. Fifty-six percent of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. In 2014, 47% of NC high school graduates met none of the four ACT readiness benchmarks to indicate they were prepared for college. When you Google news articles in Durham you will see an array of black and brown faces woven between words like shooting, killed, on the run, suspicious, gang violence suspected, and rape. Black and Hispanic students make up about 70% of population in Durham Public Schools. Not only are they trying to succeed in a struggling school system; they are attempting to outrun the stereotypes, news articles, and social perceptions of people that look like them.
Given this atmosphere it is not surprising that when you sit down and talk to some of our students about their potential they seem surprised, if not unbelieving. I tell them things like…
“College can be affordable.”
“You did not do what you needed to do this year, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot get to where you want to be.”
“It’s not too late.”
“You can do it.”
“Why aren’t you pushing yourself further?”
My students respond with stories of taking care of their siblings after-school and lacking the time for homework. They express fear due to their immigration status. Some talk about how the people around them expect them to fail and they see no point in arguing. Others are right at the borderline to greatness, but they did not realize that if they just pushed a little harder college could be paid for. They have learned to blend in, to meet the expectations of others, and to fight the battles that are immediately in front of them.
As their college advisor I bring in colleges, host workshops, work on test taking strategies, and conduct classroom presentations. These activities work to combat the college readiness problem, but it is not enough to make the opportunities real for them. Our students are capable, they have the resilience and the grit, but they need our help with the motivation and self-confidence to dream beyond their current circumstances. For kids that have dealt with harsh realities, being able to believe in something sometimes means being able to see it. That is why I am working to plan a multi-state unlocking opportunity college tour for the 2016/2017 school year.
This trip would take 40 high school students from The School for Creative Studies through three states to tour eleven different colleges during one week of their spring break in April of 2017. Our goal is to fully fund this trip so that it is an option for students regardless of the financial situation or family circumstances. At first glance, $30,000 sounds like a lot of money. However, when you break it down, that is only $30 from 1,000 people. It truly does take a village to raise a child and any contribution you make be it $1 or $1000 could help a student dream bigger and reach higher.
Thank you for taking the time to hear us out and on behalf of The School for Creative Studies and all of our high school students, I thank you for your support.
See below for full list of schools on our itinerary:
Morehouse University
Spelman University
Georgia State University
Florida A&M University
University of Florida
University of Central Florida
Bethune Cookman University
University of North Florida
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah State University
The Citadel
Your contributions will help to cover the costs for:
Food (Breakfast, lunch on college campuses, & dinner for 6 days)
Transportation (By charter bus from North Carolina to Orlando, Florida and back)
Lodging (Hotel stays for 5 nights)
Any additional funding will be used for cultural/historical immersion experiences and group entertainment
*We will need to be fully funded by March 1st, 2017 to make this trip a possibility.*
Additional Information:
Last year we were able to take 50 students to Washington, DC on a tour of 5 different colleges and the National Monuments in three days. Student feedback stated that they would like to spend more time on the road and more time at each college. In order to do this we extended the tour to a full week this year. Last year, it was primarily students and their families funded the trip. This was also a limitation we are working to combat by seeking funding early. Coming soon you will also be able to view video responses from the students that participated in the trip last year.
Organizer
Lindsey Huth
Organizer
Durham, NC
