UCSB Early Academic Outreach Presents Higher Education Week

The Early Academic Outreach Program at UC Santa Barbara is sponsoring its spring Higher Education Week, a four-day event beginning March 9. It will bring representatives from universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education to high schools in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to meet with students and discuss post-high school educational opportunities.

The event will include half-day visits to each of the schools, as well as a special event for parents and families at the Oxnard Performing Arts Community Center, 800 Hobson Way, at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10.

Presentations, which will be followed by college fairs and breakout sessions on a variety of topical issues, will take place at Hueneme and Rio Mesa High Schools on Tuesday, March 9. On Wednesday, March 10, the event will move to Oxnard and Pacifica High Schools, and to Channel Islands and Summit High Schools on Thursday, March 11. Also on March 11, a meeting for parents in the Fillmore and Santa Paula area will be held at Fillmore High School from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

The week will end with visits to Cabrillo, Lompoc, and Santa Maria High Schools on Friday, March 12.

In all, more than 3,000 high school juniors and sophomores will hear from representatives from the UC, Cal State, and community college systems; private colleges and universities; and vocational schools, such as Devry Institute, The Arts Institutes, Santa Barbara Business College, Columbia College Hollywood, Universal Technical Institute, and Wyotech. Other participants will include California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., the Indigenous Farm Worker Project, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and Sallie Mae.

"Higher Education Week is designed to promote broad awareness about college eligibility, careers, and financial aid resources for high school students and their parents," said Britt Ortiz, director of the Early Academic Outreach Program. "Over the course of four days, we will orchestrate the participation of over two dozen statewide college representatives, and will address 85 to 90 percent of each junior class at the 10 participating high schools."

The mission of the Early Academic Outreach Program at UCSB is to help develop a college-prep culture among all students, parents, and schools served by the program, and to ensure that high achieving and high potential first-generation and low income students complete the academic requirements for admissions to one of the four systems of higher education in California.

A variety of pre-college programs offered on an annual basis give students the opportunity to visit UCSB, meet with faculty members, and conduct research or participate in other academic activities. Among them are the College Going Initiative; academic achievement receptions; Summer Academic Advancement Academies; Summer Research Mentorship Program; Community College Summer Book Stipend; college readiness seminars; UC Success Night; transcript evaluation and academic advisement, and academic tours.