November 15, 1999
Reaching out to change lives
By Jennifer McNulty
When outreach counselor Ramona Ornelas invited Danny Yetter to attend a UCSC program
for San Benito High School students last August, she didn't know she'd be changing
the young man's life.
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| San Benito High School student Griselda Ruiz, center, is joined by two of her classmates during a four-day residential visit to UCSC last summer that was part of an Early Academic Outreach Program introduction to college life. |
"I picked kids I thought would never have this opportunity," explained Ornelas, who works with UCSC's Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP). "But they were kids for whom I thought the opportunity could really change their outlook."
In Yetter's case, the experience transformed a defiant 15-year-old who had no interest in school into a hardworking college-bound high school sophomore.
"I think initially he went as much to hang out with his friends as for school, but it completely turned him around," said Ornelas, whose comments were echoed by Yetter's mother, Linda.
"Danny came home with a completely different attitude toward school," she said. "We weren't expecting that. We just wanted him to be part of the experience, but he rose to the occasion and did the work. The little taste of college life really motivated him."
The four-day program that made such a difference for Danny is one of many residential programs offered by EAOP with the goal of exposing teenagers to college life. The emphasis is on creating a realistic college atmosphere, so the students, who attend the program at no cost, stayed in residence halls, were taught astronomy, sociology, and literature by UCSC graduate students, and participated in workshops on applying to college and receiving financial aid. They even had to wait in line at the bookstore to "buy" their own textbooks.
"The classes were so hard it makes high school homework seem a lot easier," said Danny. "I thought UC classes would be hard, and the fact that I did it, I guess I got the feeling I could make it in college."
Danny, who finished his freshman year with below a 2.0 grade-point average despite test scores that indicated he was capable of more, is now taking college-track courses, getting an "A" in math after failing last year--and he wants to attend UCSC.
The rigor is part of the idea, said Ornelas. "We tortured the kids," recalled Ornelas. "They were up at 5:30 and going until ten o'clock at night. They had breaks to eat, but that was all."
The experience was so profound for the 108 participants that they decided on the bus ride home to have a reunion, which took place in early November. "They really bonded," said Ornelas. "They all got really close."
Outreach counselors like Ornelas enjoy a high level of job satisfaction as they witness the impact their work has on young lives, and many draw on unlikely resources as they seek to open doors for students, said EAOP Director Edward Aguilar, whose corps of outreach counselors work four out of five days in the field.
"I don't want to see them in the office unless it's Friday," Aguilar said with a smile. "They're out working in the schools. These high schools may be only a half-hour drive away, but they're a million miles away psychologically. The students need them."
Anabel Arreola, EAOP regional coordinator and a 1990 graduate of San Benito High School, had only been on the job for a few months when she received a call from high school student Griselda Ruiz, who needed help convincing her father to let her attend the summer institute.
"She is the oldest daughter, and he didn't want her to stay in the dorms," recalled Arreola. "He was prepared to take time off work and bring the whole family to stay in a hotel with her in Santa Cruz. That's how traditional he was."
Although Ruiz's father supported his daughter's college ambitions, Griselda was caught in a cultural bind. Fortunately, Arreola was up to the task.
"I had to share a little of my personal experience to make him more comfortable," she explained. "When I went to college, my dad didn't realize the dorms at San Jose State were coed, and when he saw that, he wanted to put me in the car and take me home. So I knew where he was coming from."
Arreola was able to describe the program, the level of supervision the students would receive, and the housing arrangements (boys and girls are housed on separate floors), which helped reassure Griselda's father. And she managed to convey to him the importance of the residential component of the program. "That's the whole purpose, really," she said. "I told him that if she didn't stay on campus, she wouldn't get the full experience of college life."
The next day, Griselda received permission to attend.
"It was probably the best thing I've ever done as far as motivating me to go to college," said Griselda, a good student who has dreamed of going to college since junior high. "It showed me that once you go to college and put your mind to something, you can learn as much as you want about anything you want. That's different from high school. I could really see myself in college."
As good as it was for her, Griselda also saw the value of four days away from home--her first time ever--for her parents. "I'm going to go to college sooner or later, and I thought it would be good for my parents," she said. "It helped them a lot, too. When I came back, they were totally supportive. They trust me a lot more. I guess before they didn't think I was serious or something."
During the summer program, Griselda's family surprised her with a visit. Filled with the excitement of her time away from home, Griselda was initially embarrassed and tried to avoid her relatives until Arreola described having felt the same emotions about her own family. She was able to make Griselda laugh at her stories, but she also reminded the young woman how important it was to be a good role model for her younger siblings. Griselda overcame her discomfort and visited with her relatives.
"It worked out for the whole family," said Arreola, who admits that she kept an extra close eye on Griselda during the four days to ensure that all went well. "Most of these students had never been away from home before."
For UCSC, the benefits of EAOP programs continue to unfold as the students return to their high schools and serve as "ambassadors" for the university, sharing their experiences and enthusiasm about college with their classmates. Danny Yetter has already convinced several friends to attend the program next summer, and all of his friends from last summer are thinking about going to college.
"We tell them to take the torch and that they must pass it to their classmates," said Aguilar. "It might sound like a cliche to say this program changes lives, but it's true. Often, not only is a student changed, but a whole family is changed."
