Elaine Schumacher, Staff Reporter
Elaine_Schumacher@csumb.edu
Feb.28, 2008
The CSU Monterey Bay (CSUMB) Student Leadership in Service Learning program will host College Access Weekend, an event inviting middle school students from the Tri County area to spend the weekend on campus Mar. 8 and 9. Young students will take part in activities covering the college admission process, financial aid and leadership skills that will help them be successful in college. Gilbert Salazar, an Integrated Studies senior and student leader of the event, said they are expecting 50 students from Harden and Youth Alive, Salinas, Chular, South County; and King Middle Schools. “The weekend is designed to ensure that local students, who may not have the means to attend college, will receive encouragement and support. It also gives the student leaders a chance to mentor and share their experiences about college with the middle school students,” Salazar said. The weekend will begin with a group lunch along with some icebreaking activities, followed with a tour of the campus and a financial aid workshop. The leadership staff has developed some self-awareness exercises such as a parody of the game show, “Jeopardy.” The day will conclude with pizza, a movie and board games at the gym. Zach Walker, a Mathematics sophomore added, “I am helping with the event as an action project to show the students that college life is not just drinking and partying.” On Sunday, the students will participate in the service leaning aspect of the weekend. Education outreach group Return of the Natives, will teach the students about invasive plant species like ice plant, and their negative effects on the environment. Afterward, the Ice Plant Olympics will begin and students, working in teams, will see which team can pull out the most ice plant. “This event is important to me because I feel that students need to be outreached for college prep before high school. I plan on becoming a teacher in this area and I can see the benefit of this project for students,” said Kristen Costello, a College Access leader and Liberal Arts Major 2007 graduate. “The weekend will conclude with an ethnically diverse panel of CSUMB students answering questions from the students. The panel will be moderated and the students can submit questions about college or anything else they may be curious about,” said Salazar. Certificates will then be presented from the CSUMB Leadership staff, and information packets will be given to parents. “Over the course of the weekend some of the middle school students may decide that college is not for them and decide to look into trade schools instead,” said Salazar. The purpose of College Access Weekend is to give middle school students as much information as possible in order for them to make decisions about their future. This year’s event is being funded entirely by donations. Local businesses including Whole Foods Market will be sponsoring the event’s breakfast; Target, Safeway and Wal- Mart have also contributed food and supplies for the students.
