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 50+ GEAR UP students join in WSU Pullman’s Cougar Quest Camps this year!
Each summer, for a week each, WSU hosts middle school and high school students as they attend college style classes and demonstrations. When not in class, students eat in college lunch halls and sleep in college dorms. For many students this may be the first time they have spent as night away from home, a scary prospect for some parents and students alike. Fortunately, the camp keeps them very busy and they have little downtime to start missing family. Some still manage to be home sick, but this is where the counselors come in. Linda Schoepflin, WSU Summer Session Programs Director, has thoroughly interviewed over 250 applicants for the 15 or so positions available. As result, the students get chaperones that are far beyond summer camp babysitters. Each counselor is devoted to making this a positive experience for every student. All of them are required to have been a WSU student for a minimum of one year. The result is a powerful recruiting tool. On the way home, when asked, students would eagerly state that WSU will be their college of choice!
Some of the courses offered were, Crime Scene Investigator: Forensics, Social Inequality, A Day in the Life of a Veterinarian, and Discover the World of Nanotechnology. Students learn specific skills, or walk through experiences, that would be typical of a college student in that course of study. This provides a rare opportunity in early outreach for young scholars to get a face-to-face, hands-on feel for possible career choices. This creates a nice partnership with GEAR UP which does that same thing throughout the regular school year. If you wish to know more about your child attending Cougar Quest, ask for your GEAR UP representative at your student’s school. For photos of GEAR UP students actively participating in Cougar Quest activities click the photo album on the right side of the page. Cougar Quest web site: http://www.cougarquest.wsu.edu/ |
