WAVE Students Visit Delaware State University

From Jamie-Anne Bacchio, Career & Education Manager
[Don't miss the slideshow below this post!]

On April 22, 2008, participating WAVE students from Curtis, Mckee, Concord, and Port Richmond High Schools had the wonderful opportunity to visit the beautiful campus of Delaware State University (DSU). Although DSU is a Historically Black University, the WAVE students noticed the campus included a richly diverse population. In fact Mrs. Farmer, coordinator of visitor services, informed us that students come from not only the neighboring states but from around the globe, noting that just recently two students from Russia joined the DSU family.

During the tour, Mrs. Farmer had DSU students introduce themselves, their major and where they are from. This left a lasting impression on my students because they learned that many of them are from the five boroughs, which reinforced the fact that DSU can be a realistic goal for them.

I especially enjoyed Mrs. Farmer’s ability to make a speech on admissions, financial aid, campus life, and academics so engaging. The students were so enthralled with her presentation that they could hardly wait to ask questions.

After the tour, I heard students saying they need to focus more in school so they can attend DSU. One student wrote a message to me on the WAVE MySpace page expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to learn about DSU, and her intention to bring up her grades next fall so she can attend DSU.

I believe that after attending a successful tour such as this one, students do think more about their education and future goals. And, that’s our goal for taking them.

Note: Work Achievement Values and Education (WAVE) is an Out-of-School (OST) program, sponsored by the NY Center, which prepares students to achieve their goals by exploring higher education and teaching job readiness and leadership skills.