The University gave about 600 Oregon high-school students of color a taste of college life as part of the annual Gateway to the Future program Thursday.
The program, sponsored by the Office of Admissions, helped introduce students to the possibilities of a college education.
Lerisha Harris, a high-school student from Salem, said the event helped her focus on her future.
“A lot of people don’t have that chance to go to college,” Harris said. “I’m gonna try to take advantage of the opportunity.”
That is what event organizers aim to have the students come away from the event believing. Tana Atchley, an admissions counselor, said, “I think the most important thing is implanting in the minds of the high schoolers that college is a possibility for them.”
“There are some students that are coming from communities where nobody even graduated from high school and for them to even begin thinking about college, learning about scholarships, financial aid and the different possibilities that are out there is a good thing,” Atchley said. “It opens a lot of doors.”
Harris fits Atchley’s description. “I’ll be the first person in my family to go to college so that’s a big thing to me,” Harris said. “Also, I’ll have a better life when I get older, a better job, a better understanding.”
The event kicked off with a free continental breakfast followed by a performance by the Gospel Ensemble and a welcoming speech by Dave Frohnmayer. Students then moved on to a series of informative sessions about college life.
Students and parents learned about admissions and financial aid, and students broke into groups, divided by major.
Students chose between campus tours or a visit to the Multicultural Center and the ethnic student unions. After lunch, they had the opportunity to attend specific academic sessions depending on where their interests lie.
The day concluded with University student panels, where the participants had the opportunity to ask questions of college students. For some of the volunteers, the Gateway program provides a chance to help high-school students relate to the volunteers’ own experiences.
David Peterson is a University freshman who volunteered his time Thursday. “I know it was a hard transition for me and I knew from past experience that it’s not as hard as it seems,” said Peterson, who also participated in Gateway in high school. “I want to be able to break the ice and let them know how it is.”
Peterson remembers attending the program last year and how it was instrumental in helping him decide which direction to take his own education.
“Toward the middle of my senior year, UO was one of the universities that came to visit my high school,” Peterson said. “I was kind of leaning toward community college, but then I was told that since I could afford going to a university, I should go for it because it would be a better experience, more worth my while.”
Organizers consider the University’s largest recruiting effort for minority students a success simply for getting younger students to realize that the option of education does not stop after high school.
“I see people interested and that’s satisfying,” Atchley said.