LAKE COUNTY ? Higher Education week came to a close Wednesday night at Lower Lake High School after a whirlwind tour of five high school campuses. The week featured nearly 20 representatives from institutions of higher learning who partnered to answer students” questions.
The week included workshops on financial aid, UC and CSU admission strategies, information on vocational programs and junior colleges, and question and answer sessions for students and parents.
Spokespersons were present from the University of California, California State University, community colleges and other programs partnering with the Lake County Office of Education (LCOE) sponsored event through its college-going initiative program (CGI).
One parent in attendance, Wendy Deakins, said she was there to peruse tables and gather information from colleges for her son, Mike Deakins, a senior at Lower Lake High School. “This has been very helpful. There”s a lot of information here that”s useful. So far Mike has shown an interest in one college,” Wendy Deakins said.
Because of Lake County”s rural location and low college-enrollment rates, CGI was established in 2004 with collaboration between the University of California and LCOE as a way to promote a college-going culture in Lake County, according to CGI coordinator Jamey Gill.
The goal of the program is to increase the number of students accepted to college, and to promote collaboration between secondary and post-secondary educators. Amy Osborn, 9th and 12th grade counselor at Lower Lake High School said interest in attending college is growing with her students, as they find support systems through CGI events and discover that financing an education is possible.
“Our college going rates have gone way up. We have seen an absolute benefit with these events for the students. This venue has grown into a place where representatives want to come back,” Osborn said.
In 2007, Lake County schools achieved a higher rate of students eligible to attend a UC?85 percent, as compared to the statewide average of 72 percent. Currently, the percentage of admitted students who enroll at UC is 55 percent. In 2004, the number of UC eligible students in Lake County was only 19.4 percent, according to Gill.
“We want to see the number of students who are admitted match the numbers who actually enroll,” Gill said. While 109 students were accepted into four-year colleges this fall, Gill said they are still awaiting data on how many of that number will actually enroll.
One Lake County resident who has benefited from Higher Education and CGI programs, Aften Nelson, now a student at UC Merced, said mapping out education plans early helped her choose her four-year path.
“I knew I wanted the four year experience from the start,” Nelson said. She added that the “college experience” is something Lake County students dream about. The UC gave her some flexibility, she said, allowing her to take upper division courses during her first two years and change her focus from obtaining her MD to pursuing nursing.
Angel-Max Guerrero, statewide coordinator of CGI with UC said he is thrilled with how the event has come to incorporate partnerships with community colleges, private colleges, vocational schools and other programs for graduating high school seniors.
“This has really grown. Here at Lower Lake, last year we had only 15 people here?now look at it,” Guerrero said, gesturing to the multi-purpose room with about 100 students and parents.
“This has shown us that there is a desire to learn about their choices, and there”s a very viable population of students here with a lot of talent. I think a lot of students in Lake County feel like they are stuck here and don”t have hope or feel they can”t afford college, so we”re here as a collective team to encourage a college-going culture,” Guerrero said.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
