Affirming equity: Creating access to college careers among first generation students and students of color in elementary school

Students of color and first-generation students across the country encounter substantial barriers to higher education with regard to access and preparation. This project focused on increasing awareness of college professions and interest in pursuing a college degree among elementary school students in a western state with high percentages of first generation students and students of color. A literature review on this topic yielded several important findings. First, it was found that many schools do not have career awareness programs because of limited resources such as time, budget and equipment. These studies suggest that making students aware of college careers provides them with activities for achieving self-esteem and helps to answer questions such as "Who am I?" and "Where am I going?" In addition, raising awareness of college careers enhances students' familiarity with many professions. Second, lack of career education has caused a majority of students to be interested in occupations such as singer, actor and dancer that are perpetuated by the media. With these findings in mind, the objective of this project is to introduce careers that require a college degree to third grade students from an elementary school in a western state. The purpose of the project is to foster awareness of college professions and interest in pursuing a college degree among the third grade students. A pre-survey and post-survey were given at the beginning and end of the project to see if there was an increased interest in college and a college education among the third graders.