Young students learn about college first-hand

Sunday and Monday, six middle school students took some time out of their spring break to come spend time with IU students for a Spring Shadow visit, organized under the Collegiate Compass Program. \nCollegiate Compass is a program designed to educate young students, especially students who will be first-generation college students, about college by bringing IU students to visit Indiana middle schools. The program also invites those middle school students to campus for enrichment programs and tours.\nMonday evening, the six middle school students met with IU student volunteer shadowees and faculty members, including Vice President for Student Development and Diversity Charlie Nelms, for dinner at Teter Quad to discuss their days' activities. During the dinner, students laughed and joked about the classes they had attended that day. \nThey said although some of their classes were boring, the college experience was a whole lot better than they had expected. \n"It's not important where you start in life, but where you end up," Nelms said in response to the middle school and IU students' enthusiastic responses. "All people start at the same point, but not all people finish."\nThis was the first year for the Spring Shadow visit, a spinoff of the Pathfinder Summer Camp held at IU this past summer. Middle school students came to IU for the camp, staying in dorms, taking mock classes, visiting with IU students and faculty and participating in campus tours. \n"Although the camp was a success, we felt that students couldn't get the real 'college experience' during the summer, so this program was designed as a follow-up," Clarence Boone, director of the Collegiate Compass program, said.\nFor this program, Collegiate Compass teamed up with Americorps and their Twenty-First Century Scholarship program. Collegiate Compass was responsible for organizing the IU volunteers, and Americorps was responsible for choosing which of the students from the Twenty-First Century Scholarship program would be allowed to attend the shadow visit. They selected students by examining essays they had been asked to write.\n "We work with these kids from middle school through high school," Bob Slisz, team leader with Americorps, said. "We assist them to become successful in college." \n Jim Provenzale, coordinator for the Twenty-First Century Scholars South Central Region, said their biggest hope for these students' futures is that they will want to pursue education past the secondary level.\n Twenty-First Century Scholars' students make a pledge when they are in 8th grade. \n Slisz said they must remain drug, alcohol and crime-free throughout school, graduate from an Indiana high school, apply for federal aid and go to a university in Indiana.\nMany faculty who attended spoke inspirational words to the students. \nFrank Motley, associate vice chancellor for academic support and diversity, inspired students with his words. \n"Each of you have to realize that there are people who have faith in you and take advantage of that," he said. "In college, you need to be one of two things -- smart enough to keep up, or bright enough to catch up."\nThe room quieted as Charlie Nelms stood to speak. \n"Use your time wisely from now on," he said. "If you do, then when you exit high school, you can choose what you will do, instead of things just happening."\nThe middle school students are not the only ones who benefit from this program, Boone said.\n"When the IU students work with these kids and realize that they are being looked up to, it makes them try harder to do the best they can," Boone said. "I think it validates their reason for being in college." \nAt the end of the dinner Monday, the middle school students received mock Indiana University diplomas along with T-shirts. The bonds the IU volunteers had made with the kids were apparent as they clapped and cheered when their student went to the front of the room to receive their diplomas.