As we move into 2012, it should come as little surprise that we look to the future, with thoughts of what we hope to accomplish in the coming year. For most of us, these thoughts become resolutions that will undoubtedly be broken by the time February rolls around. For families involved with FLOC, the future means post-secondary education, and with it, new opportunities.
College Night was the culmination of the Scholars Program’s fall semester, where FLOC fifth graders, middle school and high school students, parents and Post-secondary Scholars met for a night filled with questions, answers and plenty of discussion.
Students kicked off College Night with the College Fair. Twenty-five colleges including George Washington University, Miami University, Temple University, Albright College and Tufts University were represented. As the students made their way from booth to booth, Post Secondary Scholars were available to answer questions about the university they attend and what it offers to its students.
The twenty middle school students had the chance to play interactive games that focused on college. It helped them start thinking about postsecondary education and why attending college is important. FLOC parents were given the opportunity to sit in with academic and financial aid experts and learn about the college admissions process as well as the means to affording college. Dozens of high school students sat in at a panel discussion of their own with FLOC post secondary students, where high school students asked university students questions about how to choose a college, the differences between college and high school, and even what college students like to do for fun.
Sara Maddox, Scholars Program Specialist, believes that “this is one of the most important parts of the Scholars [Program]. It allows for our students to talk with those that have gone through what they have and to see college as an active possibility for their future.”
As 2011 came to an end, College Night provided an enjoyable end of the year celebration that allowed all students at FLOC to think about the coming year and many years after.
(Alex Stucky is a Scholars Program Instructor for grades 8 and 11.)
