April 11, 2005
Hundreds of high schoolers get taste of life
at UCSC
By Louise
Donahue
Two hundred high school seniors who have been admitted to UCSC—but
have yet to make a final decision—have a lot to think about
following a whirlwind campus visit hosted by three UCSC student-initiated
outreach programs.
The high school students gathered
on Friday at Merrill College Multipurpose Room.
Photos: Louise Donahue |
Liza Hannah Buenafe of Hawthorne,
left, and Nina Douglas of Lancaster get to know each other
at Merrill College. |
High school students from around the state were invited to
visit the campus April 7-9, and the student outreach volunteers
worked with the Admissions Office to give the students a taste
of campus life.
The three student outreach groups are Destination Higher Education,
organized by the African/Black Student Alliance; A Step Forward,
run by the Filipino Student Association; and ORALE, or Oportunidades
Rumbo A La Educación, presented by Movimiento Estudiantil
Chicano/a de Aztlan (MEChA).
Admissions Director Kevin Browne said such visits to campus
are crucial as students decide where to enroll.
“These programs get the students to the campus, where
they can make a clear distinction between their perception of
the campus and reality,” Browne said.
The visit included workshops on such nuts-and-bolts topics
as financial aid and academic support as well as a chance to
get acquainted with the different ethnic groups that are part
of life at UCSC. A highlight of the students’ trip was
a “collaborative dinner,” with salsa dancing and hip-hop
music presented by the student organizations as well as a performance
by the multicultural Rainbow Theater.
Chancellor Denice D. Denton welcomed the students to campus,
sharing with them her commitment to diversity and educational
access. Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Francisco Hernandez
hosted them the next day at a barbecue lunch at the Merrill
Multipurpose Room.
Outreach volunteer Ray Austin with A Step Forward knows first-hand
the impact such efforts can have. He said he was planning to
attend a private college until he came to UCSC as part of the
A Step Forward outreach program two years ago. “Not many
students at other schools would do this,” said Austin,
now a second-year student at Oakes active in A Step Forward.
“You know the admissions office wants you, but here the
students are welcoming—that’s what really drew me.”
Austin said the UCSC volunteers include both students who participated
in student outreach programs as high school students and those
who did not.
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