UC Davis prepares the next generation of leaders, lyricists and logicians
Free summer programs connect California youth to higher education
Learning doesn’t stop when summer starts, but immersive programs often come with a significant price tag. This summer, UC Davis Outreach and Community Engagement gave California middle and high school students opportunities to explore and prepare for higher education at no cost.
Students lived in UC Davis residence halls, stepped into recording studios, built robots and practiced networking as future career professionals, among other experiences.
Rogelio Villagrana, director of UC Davis Outreach and Community Engagement, sees summer as a critical time to reach students.
“Summer gives students the time to attend these impactful programs,” Villagrana said. “They gain access to enrichment opportunities that may otherwise be financially out of reach.”
Turn transition periods into opportunity
Summer also offers time to prepare for important transitions, which for high school students can include college and career planning.
The UC Davis Early Academic Outreach Program, or EAOP, held a four-week Freshman Leadership Academy, or FLA, which reached 42 incoming ninth graders from Woodland’s Pioneer High School in July. Program participants strengthened leadership and life skills through special workshops and took field trips to select college campuses across Northern California. Now in its 10th year, FLA continues to reach students at a pivotal point before they enter high school.
Another EAOP program, the Youth Leadership Conference, also in July, brought 94 students from six EAOP partner campuses statewide to UC Davis. The five-day residential experience challenged students to step outside their comfort zones, build confidence and see themselves as leaders.
Early outreach at UC Davis
UC Davis offers three early outreach and community engagement programs as part of Undergraduate Admissions.
Mathematics, Engineering Science Achievement, or MESA, creates STEM opportunities to cultivate learning pathways for local youth in the greater Sacramento area.
Sacramento Area Youth Speaks, known as SAYS, transforms education by providing students with platforms for civic engagement and social justice advocacy.
The Early Academic Outreach Program, or EAOP, the system’s largest academic preparation program ensures students throughout the state can access tools and information throughout every step of their college journey.
All three programs show students that college is accessible regardless of their background.
“Students are in a period of transition filled with uncertainty, excitement and questions about what the next four years will look like,” said Diego Serrano, an assistant regional director in EAOP. “We create intentional spaces for students to explore who they are and develop tools they can carry into high school. These programs prepare them not only academically, but personally and socially.”
Early preparation also provides students space to discover where their interests might lead. Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement, or MESA, UC Davis welcomed 37 middle school students from five Sacramento-area school districts to the UC Davis Sacramento campus where they tried their hands at hacking, programmed LEGO robots and tackled real-world engineering challenges.
Make space for student voices
The extra time outside the school year creates space for students to recognize the value of their voices and experiences as part of college preparation. Sacramento Area Youth Speaks, or SAYS, welcomed middle and high school students from San Juan Unified and Sacramento City school districts to its four-week Warrior Scholar Summer Academy.
They created podcasts and music in the SAYS studio and connected with recent UC Davis graduates to explore career paths. Program participants also traveled to the Bay Area to tour UC Berkley and for the Brave New Voices International Poetry Festival, where they heard young poets from across the country.
“Students did not simply attend a summer program,” said Patrice Hill, director of SAYS. “They created, expressed themselves, asked questions and imagined their futures. We help students see higher education as something that can build upon who they already are — not something that requires them to become someone else in order to access it.”