May 5, 2010

*******CSU's Road to College Tour visits Salinas***

Paulina is in eighth grade and already she's starting to prepare for college.

Her reason is clear: "I want to be something important in the future."

She doesn't have a particular school in mind, and doesn't know exactly what she wants to study, "but I'm going to get ready to go to college," said Paulina, who would be the first in her family to do so.

The Washington Middle School student and about 340 of her classmates got a taste of college life May 5 during the California State University "Road to College" event, which is making stops statewide to talk to youngsters about what they need to do in order to go to college.

The tour includes a 40-foot, diesel-powered, "wired" bus wrapped with the "Road to College: Get on Board" theme. The bus interior is designed to look like a college dorm room. Before experiencing college life inside the bus, the middle schoolers learned about financial aid, campus life and career opportunities. The statewide campaign is meant to help students like Paulina think about college and start to plan for it.

The five-week campaign started in the Imperial Valley, made its way up the Central Valley, then headed to San Francisco and the Central Coast before it ends May 14 in Long Beach. Each stop is near one of the 23 CSU campuses.

CSU Monterey Bay hosted the stop in Salinas. University President Dianne Harrison addressed several groups of youngsters, university staff members worked with school officials to organize the event and 10 CSUMB students talked with the youngsters, answering questions and helping them use computers set up for the occasion.

"I hope that each and every one of you has in mind to go to college," Dr. Harrison (pictured at left) told the youngsters. She reminded them that they need to take the required classes in high school and that financial aid is available.

"Don't stop thinking about college today. The information you got today is a road map," she told them.

CSUMB student Jocelyn Martinez, a freshman from Salinas, was putting in Service Learning hours at the event. She was stationed next to a computer monitor showing a presentation on the CSU.

"I'm asking them what they're interested in," she said. "We're trying to let them know that whatever their interests are, they can study it somewhere in the CSU system."

Jocelyn wants to be a high school guidance counselor. "My high school counselor told me to go to Hartnell College, or to go in the Army. I was told I couldn't make it at a four-year university," Jocelyn said. "That made me determined to do just that. I got into CSUMB, am finishing my freshman year, and financial aid has covered the full cost.

"I want to tell other kids that they can go to college."

The Road to College tour is the result of a partnership between the CSU and AT&T, which donated $500,000 for the project. To learn more, visit www.calstate.edu/roadtocollege.

The middle school students had their pictures taken wearing the traditional mortar board. Each was given the photo and a packet of information to take home, reminders of the day and of the fact that it's never too early to think about, and prepare for, college.

(Photos by Don Porter)