Programs for local kids foster accessibility


web-kicks_austinvogelIn a time and society in which a college degree is highly valued — and almost required in order to obtain a job — many high school graduates aim to head off to higher education institutions all over the country. Many students coming from affluent or educated environments and backgrounds expect and yield to the same idea of attending a college and obtaining a degree. However, that is not the case for all high school seniors in the country, and their stances are often ignored — despite their number being much larger than their college-educated counterparts (only one out of three people in America hold bachelor’s or higher degrees). The choice not to pursue a college degree often a financial one; the economic burden of paying for higher education might seem to outweigh the benefits of earning the degree. While the financial burden is a valid concern, the problem extends much further than that. Many of these students are not even exposed to what a college education offers in the first place — even to those who are not the most academically inclined.

USC hosts many community engagement programs, such as Kicks for Kids, Joint Educational Project and Trojan Youth Soccer League. These programs bring younger students directly from the surrounding community and allow them to interact with USC students to foster a learning and enriching experience. There are numerous other projects and programs that are affiliated with the University that aim to reach out to adjacent schools, such as the Neighborhood Academic Initiative. I think that these programs are necessary across many college campuses in the country. By directly exposing students to the many different resources and opportunities that the college experience offers, it creates motivation and incentive for the students to spend their next four years there. By allowing students to incorporate themselves into the school academically as well as physically by being on campus, college seems to be a more tangible and realistic goal for students.

One of the primary reasons for the small rate of high school seniors going to college in the United States is due to the financial costs of the private and public universities. USC is no stranger to high costs; the cost of attendance is around $70,000 this year. While the price tag is daunting, USC offers a wide range of merit scholarships; around a quarter of the freshmen class in 2014 were recipients of such scholarships. Around two-thirds of the student population are offered and accept and financial aid from USC. The need-blind admission process also allows the students to apply to the school without being worried about the cost of attendance as a possible hindrance to gaining admittance to the university. The Neighborhood Initiative (despite its premature beginnings in sixth grade) is a prime example of this financial assistance that USC offers to the underprivileged students in the neighborhood; upon the completion of the program and admittance into the university, the students are given a full scholarship during their four years at USC. The financial aid that this program rewards to its scholars is life-changing, as it offers a four-year college education for free.

The demographics of USC do not reflect that of the surrounding community; On top of that, the selectivity of the school as well as its financial costs create an invisible wall of “elite” students versus the local students. But this wall is created by a lack of communication and stereotypes. By engaging in these programs, the students living near USC can catch glimpses of a college life as a student. By allowing students to familiarize themselves with the college, it becomes natural for them to attend a college, if not USC. It is up to our community to ensure our gates are not walls between ourselves and the community. It’s time to foster an ultimate transition from high school to college.