"I want to keep helping people and keep making relationships... be active, and keep helping the community." This is one of many positive takeaways Sonoma State students had after hanging out with Roseland Collegiate Prep (RCP) freshman for the day. Discovery Day gives high school freshmen a chance to explore a college campus and the resources that can be offered to them if they further their education after high school. The Communication & Media Studies Learning community class led this group of high school students by hosting a scavenger hunt, a Q&A panel about the student life here at Sonoma, and a pizza lunch.
I was fortunately brought up by parents who encouraged me to further my education, so I never questioned going to college, but not everyone grows up with this much opportunity. There are many high school students who don't have the tools to prepare themselves for university which often leads to them not attending college at all. RCP students are shown that is possible to attend a four year university by being enlightened on programs for low-income and first generation students as well as being able to ask any questions they may have. Not only is this beneficial for the RCP students but for Sonoma students as well for many felt a sense of gratitude after participating in Discovery Day, "I've realized that helping out these freshman can go a long way... I hope they took our advice to heart."
Having an education is crucial nowadays, participating in events such as Discovery Day can go a long way in impacting a student's education, "The students really enjoyed the day. The only complaint was that they wanted to stay longer!" I am glad that I was able to take part in such an enriching experience and hope to participate in something like this again.
Check out the last Discovery Day.