This summer, nine youth residents of Rosewind Estates, a CMHA community, attended a five-day college tour across the southeast. These teens caught a glimpse of the college life by traveling to 10 different campuses, including:
• Howard University
• University of The District of Columbia
• Virginia State University
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Shaw University
• North Carolina State University
• Clark Atlanta University
• Georgia State University
• University of Alabama
• Tuskegee University
After the trip, 96% of those who attended expressed more of a desire to go to college. “It changed my mindset of being indifferent toward college. At first, I didn’t think too much about it even though I knew it was coming close. Now, I think about it a lot,” said one of the teens. However, only 74% believe that it is possible for them to attend college and less than 44% feel that they better understand what school they want to attend.
These youths clearly have a yearning to attend college. With ongoing support and opportunities such as this, they can make their dreams a reality. This college trip was made possible by the Ohio Capital Impact Corporation, Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), Resident Resources Network and the Ward Family branch of the YMCA of Central Ohio.