INDIANAPOLIS — IU’s Kids College is expanding. The two-week summer camp helps introduce kids to college life and potential majors.
For the first time, it’s being offered at IU Indianapolis to seventh and eighth graders. Monday morning, students started off with a lecture about healthcare.
“I want to go to college,” said Micah Carter, a participant.
Over the next two weeks, she’ll get to explore different majors and career fields. Right now, she has two in mind.
“I want to be an actress or an architect,” said Carter.
“Give her a better understanding of college and how college works,” said Damica O’Neal-Woolridge, Carter’s grandma.
O’Neal-Woolridge takes care of Carter full time and thought the camp would help her weigh her future options.
“I just want her to find her purpose. See what really matters to her the most, and as she said, meet some new friends and have some colleagues along the way.”
“By having a young black son, grandson, taking him out of the inner city to show him that you can go to college, you can do a lot of other things besides just sitting at home,” said Christina Anderson.
Anderson signed her grandson up for the free camp as well.
“I want to get a degree in technology. I want to build stuff or make games for people,” said Kaiden Anderson, a camp participant.
Over the course of the camp, participants will explore STEM, healthcare, law and the arts.
“Put together a project at the end. Over the two weeks, they’ll be doing research and a community project they’re passionate about,” said Dr. Latosha Rawley, the camp director.
Rawley says the camp is now being offered to middle schoolers after they created a strategic plan to start a pipeline to college for kids at an earlier age.
“The fork in the road happens at the middle school time, maybe they have different kinds of influences, so we are hoping to be the voice in their head to think about their future,” said Rawley.
The goal is to increase enrollment and career readiness.
“We know there’s been a decline in college enrollment, and I think part of it is lack of exposure,” said Rawley.
The program is now offered at six IU campuses across the state.
To find out more about Kids College, you can visit this link.
