visit U of I
On Friday, February 13th, the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th graders boarded buses and headed to Moscow for a U of I campus tour. The 7th, 8th, and 9th graders’ trip was funded by Idaho GEAR UP. The U of I’s new student recruiter, Ashley Carlon, planned out various activities for the students to give them a “taste” of college life.
The 7th and 8th graders watched presentations given by professors and students from the engineering department while the 9th and 11th graders toured the campus. The presentations exposed the students to possible career majors that would let them develop better snowmobiles, build robots, or work with the nanotechnology.
While the 9th and 11th graders watched presentations given by professors and students from the engineering department, the 7th and 8th graders went to the entomology lab, the greenhouse, or a tissue culture presentation in the ag science department.
The students enjoyed eating at “Bob’s Place” in the Wallace Residence Complex. Lynn Danly, Cindy Higgins, Roy Uhlenkott, Audra Shumway, and Laurie Lorentz joined seven teachers, and counselors as chaperones.
About 43% of Idaho’s high school graduates currently go on to attend college. Fortunately, the actual rate for students in our community is actually higher. Visiting college campuses helps students “see” themselves going to college in the future. The campuses and the college classes become less overwhelming. The students become more focused on doing well in school in order to reach the goal of attending college. Of course, we all want students to pursue higher education because we know when students go on to obtain higher education or additional training after high school, the overall economic situation in a state is improved.