December 15th, 2012
APP’s Blueprints College Access Initiative gives young people the opportunity to visualize themselves as college students in order to motivate them to work toward graduation and college acceptance. Last Tuesday, Montevallo High School ninth graders experienced a day-in-the-life of a college student when they visited neighboring University of Montevallo.
The 90 students joined their 32 mentors at the university where they attended college classes, walked the pathways of the historic quad, ate lunch in the Anna Irvin Dining Hall, and talked with faculty and students about the college experience at Montevallo.
“Being on a college campus today makes all the difference. You can get an idea of what college may actually be like,” said Blueprints student Jessie Harbuck.
Dr. James Day, professor of history, welcomed the Blueprints students to campus, and Korey Wilson, student member of the university’s board of trustees, talked with them about preparing for college.
“Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do, just know that college is the best place to start your journey,”’ said Wilson.
In the afternoon, Blueprints students reflected on their experiences:
“I liked learning about the costs of college,” said Christopher Bell.
“Blueprints has helped me learn more about all the career choices ahead of me,” said Zach Thompson.
“I’ve been glad to have a mentor with college experiences to answer my questions about the future,” said Mary Trice.
The field trip concluded with a graduation ceremony signifying the students’ completion of the Blueprints early awareness program.
Thank you to Montevallo High School and the University of Montevallo for their work promoting a college-going culture. In addition, special thanks to Dr. Laurel Hitchcock, assistant professor of social work, and the students of her Human Behavior class for their service-learning partnership and to the Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement for helping coordinate the day.