August 16, 1999

UCSC outreach efforts continue all summer

By Jennifer McNulty

The residence halls haven't been quiet this summer as hundreds of K-12 students from all over the state have flocked to UCSC to attend residential programs that focus on everything from youth leadership to computer technology.

Sponsored by UCSC's Educational Partnership Center, the programs are part of the campus's growing efforts to reach out to K-12 students in the post-Proposition 209 era.

High school senior Terance Joseph, 17, gets a good view of a sea star during a tour of Long Marine Laboratory. (More photos)

"The University of California is committed to doubling the number of students who graduate from high school eligible to attend the UC campus of their choice," said center director Carrol Moran. "To do that, we've realized we need to reach out more often and more creatively to get kids thinking about higher education earlier in school. Each of our programs is designed to help us in that effort."

Residential programs are particularly valuable for K-12 students who lack the family resources to attend college. Experiencing the college environment at a young age makes an enormous impression and can help motivate students who might otherwise slip through the cracks to pursue a college education, said Moran.

One of the biggest programs this summer has been the Summer Youth Leadership Conferences that were presented by UCSC's Early Academic Outreach Program. More than 500 students attended the three-day conferences that were designed as a leadership development opportunity for high school students to become college information resources for their peers, serving as "UC ambassadors."

During each of five conferences, participants attended workshops on admissions, financial aid, and academic course planning before returning to their schools to share what they've learned with their classmates. The mock college experience incuded purchasing textbooks and attending classes in astronomy, linguistics, and sociology.

Participating 10th and 11th graders hailed from select schools in Salinas Union High School District and San Jose's East Side Union High School District, as well as San Benito, Santa Cruz, and North Monterey County High Schools.

In addition to serving the campus's close regional partners, UCSC developed two programs in connection with the UC Los Angeles Basin Initiative, a systemwide effort to expand the pool of students from Los Angeles County who are academically prepared to attend the university.

The Summer High School Technology and Society Institute was designed to demystify computer technologies for underserved students from Los Angeles by familiarizing them with the origins of the technology and giving them the skills to use the Internet. The program's curriculum focused on understanding how, where, and why computer technologies are produced, as well as by whom. With an emphasis on "learning by doing," the program encouraged students to use the Internet to explore these questions.

The second L.A. Basin program, "The Magical School Bus Ride," took 45 students from Dominguez High School in the Compton area of Los Angeles on a two-week tour of UC marine research facilities. During their visit to UCSC, the students stayed at Oakes College and participated in lectures, labs, field trips, and other activities related to the marine sciences. They toured the campus, UCSC's marine science facilities, Long Marine Laboratory, the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, and a UCSC research site at Elkhorn Slough. They also attended a Shakespeare Santa Cruz performance and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

In July, UCSC hosted another residential program geared toward providing college-going information to K-5 migrant students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. The two-day event, "Building a Bridge to College for Migrant Students," gave students a chance to experience college life by interacting with UCSC undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff. In addition, special workshops were held for parents to introduce them to the university and educate them about admissions, financial aid, and academic support services. The academic program included a computer robotics class that introduced engineering concepts and an art class that revealed the ways that art is a bridge to the world of imagination.

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