Students from Santa Maria, Pioneer Valley, and Righetti high schools learned about higher education during a recent field trip to two Bay Area universities through the Student Academic Achievement Seminar.
The experience brought the young learners to the University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University where they toured the campuses and participated in a question-and-answer panel with college students who are a part of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA)—a student organization that promotes higher education, culture, and history.
Santa Maria High School senior Sara Leon said in a press release, “I learned how it was hard for some students to leave home, and what the students had to go through.”
Pioneer Valley senior Humberto Lopez found the journey eye opening and added, “There are many programs that can help you, and each campus handles situations differently.”
Righetti junior Esmeralda Coracero summed up the mindset of many college students. “It’s not about who you are, but what you can bring back to the community,” Coracero said.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 7, 2016.