Fifth graders to experience college life at AWC

'I’m Going to College' event invited students from Somerton and Winterhaven schools to visit Yuma Campus

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona Western College (AWC) invited fifth graders from Tierra Del Sol Elementary and San Pasqual Valley Elementary to experience college life at the Yuma Campus.

Students will get to start the morning with a mock new student orientation before going into three mini-college classes taught by faculty members.

AWC said professors volunteer to teach the elementary students 25-minute lessons on their areas of expertise and give them a first-hand look into a college classroom.

The fifth graders will get to have lunch on campus and have an achievement ceremony.

They will also receive "I'm Going to College" t-shirts with the year they will complete their bachelor's degree which would be 2035.

“We are planting the seeds of the future to help college ideas grow into career goals,” said Biridiana Martinez, AWC Outreach, Recruitment & Early College Director. “The I’m Going to College event provides early college awareness to students in our community with an exceptional hands-on experience.”

AWC said they invited elementary-age students to the campus to inspire them to consider having a higher education and create a college-going culture in the community for over a decade.

More than 2,800 students have come through the program since 2010.

AWC said this event has been funded in part by the Burton Family Foundation.