FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 11, 2013
Kids2College Program Prepares Students For Success
Helping 5th & 6th Grade Students Connect College and Careers with Their Interests
ANCHORAGE – This spring, Alaskan 5th and 6th grade students will take what for many will be their first steps toward exploring their college and career interests. Building on the success of the I’m Going To College program, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education and UA College Savings Plan have partnered again, this time to put Kids2College into action across Alaska. This 20 year old program continues to grow and with Alaskan students enjoying the curriculum and preparing for their future, Kids2College now successfully operates in 28 states. This year we expect nearly 2,200 students in 13 communities to participate in the Kids2College program.
During the program, students explore their career interests, research what it will take to pursue different careers and present the information to their classmates. Along the way, they will learn about a variety of academic options and the steps they can take today to prepare for college. Participating students will learn about local high school graduation and test requirements, college admissions, and how to qualify for financial aid opportunities like the Alaska Performance Scholarship. By the end of the curriculum, students will be able to tie everything together as they connect college and careers with their own interests.
The Kids2College program ends with a visit to a local college campus where students get to experience a day in the life of a college student, as they rotate through brief, age-appropriate classes and hands-on activities taught by college professors.
By following the Kids2College classroom curriculum then visiting a local campus, students learn the benefits of attending college, explore their interests, and figure out what high school and college courses will best help them prepare for their future careers. The curriculum provides students a solid understanding of college and career preparation and the fun, educational campus visit gives students a sampling of college classes and college life while inspiring them to include college in their future plans.
Kids2College alumni are more likely to discuss college preparation with parents and teachers, and to understand college is possible for them. It is an opportunity for those children whose families may not have a college-going history, to learn first-hand about the career avenues college offers and the fun of the college experience.
Kids2College encourages students to aspire to education and training beyond high school – whether it’s an apprenticeship, a one-year technical program or a 10-year professional degree sequence; by learning that postsecondary training is important and attainable.
Students will visit the following college campuses between Feb 28 and April 26, 2013.
BARROW: Thursday, February 28: Ilisagvik College
Contact: Janelle Everett: 907-852-1799; janelle.everett@ilisagvic.cc
JUNEAU: Tuesday March 12/Wednesday March 13: University of Alaska Southeast
Contact: Janelle Cook: 907-796-6257; janelle.cook@uas.alaska.edu
KODIAK: Friday, March 22: UAA Kodiak College
Contact: Sandra Chichenoff: 907-486-1219; schichenoff@kodiak.alaska.edu
SITKA: Thursday, March 28: UAS Sitka Campus
Contact: Bob Love: 907-747-7777; rwlove@uas.alaska.edu
NOME: Friday, April 5: UAF Northwest Campus
Contact: Miranda Musich: 907-443-8427; mbmusich@alaska.edu
ANCHORAGE: Friday, April 12: University of Alaska Anchorage
Contact: Brian McDermott: 907-786-1543; anbpm@uaa.alaska.edu
HOMER: Friday, April 12: UAA Kenai Peninsula College, Kachemak Bay Campus
Contact: Kim Frost: 907-235-1658; kafrost2@kpc.alaska.edu
FAIRBANKS: Thursday, April 18: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Contact: Ashley Munro: 907-474-1934; akmunro@alaska.edu
BETHEL: Friday, April 19: UAF Kuskokwim Campus
Contact: Quentin Simeon: 907-543-4599; qmsimeon@alaska.edu
VALDEZ: Friday, April 19: Prince William Sound Community College
Contact: Heidi Franke: 907-834-1626; hafranke@pwscc.edu
DILLINGHAM: Friday, April 26: UAF Bristol Bay Campus
Contact: Cody Larson: 907-842-5109; cqlarson@alaska.edu
PALMER: Friday, April 26: UAA Matsu College
Contact: Amy Seamans: 907-745-9799; aseamans@matsu.alaska.edu
For more information, please contact Shelly Morgan, K-12 Specialist with the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education at 907-269-7972 or shelly.morgan@alaska.gov
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