"In my class I learned a lot about making a connection with students and I feel like I applied that a lot today in Discovery Day." -Jalisa Tucker, Sonoma State Freshman
On Discovery Day, Sonoma State undergraduates in a service-learning class help expose Roseland Collegiate Prep (RCP) freshmen to the amazing opportunities that college brings. The SSU students greatly enjoyed the opportunity to experience the values, ideas, and skills they learned throughout the semester in class, including public speaking, facilitation, communication, community building, and ethical decision making. Service-learning is not just for benefit of the community partner. It's also for the benefit of the SSU students.
Through icebreakers, a scavenger hunt, and a pizza lunch, the SSU students were able to build connections with the RCP freshmen. The RCP students also learned from Outreach about the daily life of a college student and their experiences with classes, Greek life, and much more. President Armiñana sponsored the lunch and provided the RCP and SSU students with a brief speech about the importance of going to college and pursuing a higher education and also how to be successful.
An SSU student leader reported that one of the young RCP students did not know college was an option that was available to her. The young students learned from Educational Opportunity Program(EOP) advisor, Andre Bailey, that a college education is always available to everyone. He stressed that money should not be an issue that holds a student back from going to college. EOP encourages low income and first generation students to pursue a higher education and provides the necessary assistance to those that need it. Mr. Bailey kept reiterating to the students that "If you want to be here, we want to have you here." By the end of the day, many RCP students expressed interest in going to college and SSU in particular.
Thank you to President Armiñana who provided great pizza and and even better inspirational speech to all the students. We also appreciate the support of our guests from Outreach and EOP. We would also like to thank the RCP students and faculty for participating in yet another successful Discovery Day. Finally, thank you to Bruce Peterson and his Leadership class for organizing and leading a day that provided so many students with an experience they will always remember.
Check out last year's Discovery Day post.