. . . and qualify for a scholarship to help pay for it

During June, small groups of aspiring filmmakers could be seen around campus. They aren’t college students – not yet anyway. The filmmakers are part of Imagine College, a program that allows high school students to get a taste of what college is all about.

The program brings about 180 students from Seaside High to campus for a trio of one-week sessions. They choose when they will attend based on which subject they want to study: creative writing was offered in weeks 1 and 2; filmmaking was offered in weeks 2 and 3; kinesiology was available in week 1; and social action was a choice in week 3.

In addition, 65 students from North Monterey County High and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District attended all three weeks, studying algebra in order to “get a boost for the upcoming school year,” said Carol Lenters, director of the program.

According to Juan Ramirez, a program coordinator, the focus of the program is to get high school students “to imagine going to college, and realize they actually can.” That’s a powerful message, since nearly 70 percent of them come from families where no one has attended college.

The cornerstone of the program is the guarantee of a $4,000 scholarship to any student who graduates from Seaside High with a 2.5 grade-point average, attends two weeks of Imagine College while in high school and gets accepted to a college or university. A local resident donated the scholarship money.

While the scholarship is a big draw, Ramirez said the program is also popular because there’s not much for teens to do during the summer. “It’s one of only a few programs, and the only one with college professors teaching it,” he said.

During their week on campus, the students also visit the Watershed Institute, talk with staff members from the campus Cross Cultural Center, make and launch small rockets, learn professional etiquette, and hear from a panel of CSUMB students about their experience with college. Photos Top: Student filmmakers shoot in the campus library. Photo by Patia Stephens Middle: Students learn about blood pressure readings in the kinesiology class. Photo by Joseph Padilla Bottom: In a team-building exercise, students learn to work together on a project. Photo by Ayana Hawk-Harris