Nearly 400 fifth graders from 17 Hawai‘i Catholic schools converged on Chaminade University’s campus over two days this month for fun, hands-on classes.
The “I Go to College” program is aimed at inspiring young people to “dream big” and envision themselves attending college.
The students end the daylong program by accepting a “diploma” presented in a special graduation ceremony.
Chaminade partners with Hawai‘i Catholic Schools to present the opportunity for students, who travel from across the state to attend.
This year’s “I Go To College” events were held on Feb. 3 and 11.
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As part of the day of interactive activities, students attended specially-designed courses taught by University professors.
In a course taught by the Forensic Sciences program, students learned how to take fingerprints. In another class, students took a “poetry walk” around campus.
Attendees also gathered for lunch on campus and got to meet Chaminade students, staff and administrators.
Organizers point to research that shows the incredible value of early exposure to college.
“The younger you can get children to come on campus, the more they can see it’s an open, welcoming environment,” said Chaminade President Lynn Babington, Ph.D.
Added Kim Baxter, director of Chaminade’s Early College program: “The fact that they can be on campus and visualize what a class might look like is just a really nice thing for them to see early on what college is about.”
Chaminade’s Early College program allows Hawai‘i students to pursue dual high school and college credit and is designed to give students an early taste of college and smooth the transition between high school and university, especially for students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education.
