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“I’m Going to College” Program Motivates Young Students
Rio Hondo College has partnered with local
school districts to increase the number of first-generation and underserved
youths who go on to higher education. The "I'm Going To College" (IGTC)
programs are designed to encourage middle-school students and their parents to
get well informed about higher educational opportunities and to
get hem thinking about academic excellence and college as soon as possible.
The program helps them realize that going to college is a goal they want to
begin to plan for now – both with the appropriate academic preparation as well
as financial savings.
In Pico Rivera, the El Rancho Unified School
District, the City of Pico Rivera and the Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce, in
partnership with Rio Hondo, started the first IGTC program over three years ago
at the District’s three middle schools-- Burke, North Park and Rivera. Each and
every student who remains in the program from sixth grade until high school
graduation, is college ready, and attends a college of their choice immediately
after graduation is able to receive a $1,000 financial award to help them with
their college expenses. The Partnership is committed to raising the necessary
funds for these financial awards. Parental involvement is a crucial component
in the IGTC program.
In Santa Fe Springs, the Los Nietos and Little Lake City
School Districts have joined with Rio Hondo College and the Santa Fe Springs
Education-Business-Community Partnership to create an IGTC for their own
middle-school students. Parents and students are committed to stay involved by
attending the activities provided for them. The Partnership feels very strongly
that parents need to gain "college knowledge" so they can help their children
succeed academically. Along with special parent workshops, students
in the programs have the opportunity to visit local colleges including Rio Hondo
and California State University at Long Beach where they can engage in
dynamic, hands-on learning activities.
The "I'm Going to College!" programs target the middle
schools because that is the time for students
and their parents to think about and anticipate higher education plans. This is
a terrific program that serves an important need at a crucial point in a
students’ lives.
In addition to sitting in on classes, the sixth-graders
learned what they need to do now to achieve academic success and be fully
prepared for college. Each sixth-grader received a T-shirt as well as a healthy
lunch complements of the Santa Fe Springs Education-Business-Community
Partnership, as well as a gift bag thanks to Rio Hondo’s Office of Title V
Programs.
The Santa Fe Springs IGTC program also offers parent
meetings throughout the year on a variety of topics. In January, the parent
meeting focused on ways to help their students improve their reading skills and
vocabulary skills. May’s parent meeting will help to de-mystify the college
admissions and financial aid process.
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