June 26, 2009

Program fuels college dreams

Heather Barney was definite about her reason for attending Imagine College.

“I’m here to get that scholarship,” said the 11th-grader-to-be at Seaside High.

CSU Monterey Bay played host to the second annual Imagine College Summer Scholar Institute in June, bringing more than 150 high school students to campus for a pair of one-week sessions.

The program aims to let students know that college is a realistic goal for them, and to help them pay for it.

Students from Seaside, Monterey and Marina high schools were invited to participate. Each student enrolled for a five-day session and could choose one of three courses to pursue during the week. Choices included My Global Footprint, about global warming; My Life Online, an introduction to computer technology (photo above); and My Understanding of Home, which included storytelling and art. CSUMB instructors taught the classes; university students and recent graduates served as teaching assistants and mentors.

The cornerstone of the program is the guarantee of a $4,000 scholarship to any student who attends two Imagine College summer sessions, graduates from Seaside High with a 2.5 grade point average and gets accepted to a college or university.

A donor and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation are providing the scholarship money.

Heather chose the storytelling class. “We’re doing video, audio and ’zines. It’s about your story and your home,” she said. “It’s teaching me what college is like. It gives us an idea of what college can give us.

“And I like the food. The food’s good.”

CSUMB, the UC Santa Cruz Educational Partnership Center, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District sponsor the program.