Every semester, Shadow Day provides younger students with a realistic higher education experience. This provides Sonoma State University undergraduates with a leadership opportunity and builds collaboration between the SSU service-learning classes and the community. This semester, high school students from Roseland Collegiate Prep came to SSU grounds eager and hopeful for one of their first college experiences and connected with SSU students from a service-learning class.
students about his class and what’s in store.
Before Shadow Day, SSU students learned about Roseland Collegiate Prep and discussed the possible challenges the kids face, such as immigration, and poverty issues, and the resources they bring such as language skills, resilience, and diversity.
Upon arriving, the Roseland Collegiate High Schoolers were welcomed by Ed Beebout, the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities as well as members of the CCE and students from Professor Tim Wandling’s English class. The RCP students were given name tags and then escorted to Professor Wandling’s classroom after a short briefing and an overall welcome to the campus. The RCP students were then presented with various short films that were made by students of professor Wandling’s class.
The topics of the short films had to do with societal topics and dilemmas, such as DNA manipulation, bribery, and other topical issues of debate. These videos were presented as a way to show the high schoolers what kind of work they would be doing and what topics they would potentially cover while in college. The videos were entertaining and humorous at times which could bring relief to some individuals thinking college is more of a serious environment.
After class was over, the students then had an opportunity to explore the campus and visit the cafeteria for some free lunch. I had a chance to sit with some of the visiting students and speak about college as a choice, and what some of their plans were for the future. During our small discussion regarding college as a choice, some students mentioned their parents' influences while others mentioned wanting to attend trade school. Some other RCP students weren’t interested in higher education at all but one said, “I need a degree for what I want to do.” Before I left the group for the day I wished them good luck and told them the best thing for them to do now is to relax. After lunch, the students returned to the Student Center where they joined groups and had a chance to reflect on their visit.
about their short films.
There is evidence that individuals who come to a college campus just once are far more likely to see higher education as an option for them to attend college. It also works wonderfully for college students because for many of them, it is their first time being a mentor or role model, and they rise to the occasion. Being able to witness RCP’s visit and being able to observe them throughout their Shadow Day was valuable and it is a great representation of the work that SSU is doing to promote college as a valuable opportunity.
Thank you to Roseland Collegiate Prep, Dean Beebout, Professor Wandling, and his students for helping to make SSU’s fifteenth Shadow Day a success.