Every year, KidsTek partners with students from the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder to give our class at North High School in Denver an in-depth education in college readiness skills. The students from CU visit the class at North several times throughout the spring semester, giving advice on topics like financial aid, campus life, scholarship essays, and more. The experience culminates in a field trip up to the CU campus for a campus tour customized for KidsTek students.
Last week, this year’s group of CU students visited North for the first time. “We love bringing the college students in to meet our class,” said Program Manager Emily Tow. “Having them visit our students’ ‘home turf’ and get to know our students is a key part of making the eventual field trip an amazing experience for all, especially because it helps our students get comfortable with the CU students and get some great advice for their futures.”
During this visit, the students from Boulder introduced themselves and gave a brief overview of their own college paths, offered some additional advice on the career skills that North students worked on the previous semester, and talked a bit about college life. Then, the class split into four breakout groups for small-group discussions on these and similar topics.
“Our students always have a ton of questions about continuing their education after high school, but they also have a lot of questions about the more fun aspects of college life,” said Tow. “It’s nice to have folks closer to their own age and who are currently experiencing college life for them to talk to, especially in smaller groups where they can feel more comfortable asking questions that they might not ask in front of the class.”
We look forward to the next visit and to seeing this partnership grow throughout the semester. Thanks to our friends at CU Boulder!
