Innovative Pathways: UCSC / CSUMB / Cabrillo

3,000 Fourth Graders Coming to Cabrillo College

One of the most exciting field trips that all fourth grade and seventh grade students in Santa Cruz County will experience this year is a college visitation day at either Cabrillo College, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) or University California at Santa Cruz (UCSC).

Through the leadership of the Students for College (S4C) steering committee (Gary Bloom, Henry Castaniada, Julie Haff, Kristin Fabos, Laurel Jones, Mary Gaukel, Melinda Silverstein, Michael Watkins, Murry Schekman, Michelle Whittingham and Ray Kaupp), the college career pathway is created to provide our students in these grade levels an opportunity to engage with faculty and students at these educational institutions. The excitement of watching our students explore their local colleges and take part in classroom activities and discussion panel groups is an incredible educational opportunity for students to begin to think about their college future.

In 2012, the concept of providing fourth grade elementary school students a chance to explore a pathway to Cabrillo College was developed. Through a comprehensive collaborative effort with all nine (9) school districts in Santa Cruz County, over 3,000 students went on a field trip to Cabrillo College. These students spent a their time experiencing the challenges and joys of a college student. They attended classes that provided hands-on activities and opportunities to participate in panel discussions.

Providing students throughout our county the opportunity to begin to develop their own pathways to a future college experience is the goal. An added bonus for this day of exploration is having current Cabrillo College students lead classroom activities.

This fourth grade student experience is planting a seed in our students’ minds regarding their opportunities for attending Cabrillo College.

3,000 Seventh Graders Coming to UCSC or CSUMB

In an effort to expand opportunities for students in developing a pathway for the possibility of attending UCSC or CSUMB. These colleges will conduct a seventh grade visitation day this spring for 3,000 students visiting either UCSC or CSUMB.

The development of the seventh grade visitation day became a reality by the outstanding pilot program developed by UCSC staff and students last year.

The format for seventh graders throughout the county is very different from the program developed for fourth graders. Seventh grade students will be randomly selected to provide topics for discussion during their visitation. Our middle school students have a lot to talk about and their willingness to participate is the winning formula for serious engagement.

Last year, teams of UCSC students created settings that encouraged seventh grade students to select topics of interest to boost engaging discussions. Imagine the faces of seventh graders who visit UCSC for the very first time. They were in awe of the natural beauty and excited to visit different locations throughout the campus. Seventh graders are interested in learning about entrance requirements for college and many asked questions about the freedom that a college student experiences.

Two other topics that interested seventh grade students were the cost of going to college and academic support as needed. The UCSC students were just fantastic in providing examples of how they are affording their college costs and the options for tutoring assistance. A survey was provided to seventh graders who attended last year and its results showed that the opportunity to visit UCSC is an excellent strategy for planting the seed for a college education.

A special thank-you goes out to the members of the steering committee of S4C for their commitment to create innovative pathway opportunities for our students’ future.