Students in the District’s Johnson Scholars Program, in collaboration with Take Stock in Children of the Palm Beaches (jointly known as the JSTSIC Program), embarked on a college tour last month to see the various programs offered at universities across the state.
Students who want to stay closer to home after graduation had the opportunity to participate in a local tour and research presentation at Florida Atlantic University where FAU showcased an engaging research initiative-showing students fields of student that they would like to pursue.
Meanwhile, the second cohort of students in the program traveled to Orlando to visit Valencia College-East Campus where they learned about the school’s Fire and Rescue Department, Agricultural Science Department and Graphic Interactive Design program.
They later visited the University of Central Florida where they learned that their graduation from Valencia would lead them to automatic acceptance to UCF; highlighting how easy it is for students to transition from a state college into a university system.
Not only did students explore the educational opportunities these institutions have to offer, but they also got a taste of college life on campus as each school was celebrating Homecoming week and preparing for their big games.
“These college tours allow students to have tangible contact with the college experience, increasing their motivation towards achieving post-secondary success,” said Gbolade George, a resource teacher for the Johnson Scholars Program.
Students in the JSTSIC program are mentored from 9th grade through graduation by a community mentor, have access to college coaches throughout high school and receive a two-year, Florida Prepaid Scholarship.
The Johnson Take Stock Program is a college readiness program for first-generation college students who qualify for Federal Free and Reduced Priced Meal Benefits through the National School Lunch Program.
The students participate in a cohort throughout four years of high school with the possibility to receive a two-year Florida College Prepaid scholarship if they follow through on the program requirements.
The program is funded by the Johnson Scholarship Foundation and works in partnership with Take Stock in Children Palm Beach to provide services to students in 27 high schools. There are ten Johnson Take Stock High Schools that host afterschool college readiness clubs at the school site to reinforce the skills essential to student readiness to enter and engage in college or career training with success.
More than 400 students in Palm Beach County are a part of JSTSIC.
