SAN DIEGO—Seventh-grade students from Meadowbrook and Oak Valley middle schools experienced an afternoon of life on a college campus Thursday, as part of the University of California, San Diego’s Education Day event.
Poway Unified students joined several local school districts for the visit, which offered students the chance to briefly tour campus before attending a UCSD Women’s Basketball game.
The visit also allowed students to start envisioning themselves on a college campus, says Dave LeMaster, an Executive Director in Learning Support Services at Poway Unified.
“It’s really a great experience for kids to get to step onto a college campus, and to see all the students and get a feel for what it’s like,” LeMaster says. “But also too to get to watch a college level basketball game with some amazing student athletes who have worked hard and have persevered.
“Just a lot of great lessons to be learned.”
The visit also comes at a pivotal time in students’ educational journeys. The chance to visit a college campus before high school gives them the opportunity to start thinking of the pathway they envision for themselves after senior year.
Recently, Poway Unified ranked above the state average on the California School Dashboard for students who are prepared for college or career fields following high school. The dashboard recorded 78.4% of PUSD high school graduates are prepared for high education or career pathways, compared to California’s overall rate of 55.6%.
Visits like this that connect students with college early, in addition to Poway Unified’s robust Career and Technical Education offerings and preparatory curriculum, allow students to see where their studies can take them sooner.
“I think students, when they’re in seventh grade, they’re developing their identity, they’re getting to know themselves and what they want to do and pursue. I think this is an opportunity for them to think about that a little and envision themselves being on a college campus,” LeMaster says.