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Show HEALTH SCIENCES LEAP PROGRAM SPRING 2013 Diana Thai Karen Yu Ceslie Garza fy Carolyn Bliss 172 REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS: A COMMUNITY BASED PARTNERSHIP TO RAISE COLLEGE AWARENESS AND PROMOTE HIGHER EDUCATION AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN Diana Thai, Karen Yu, Ceslie Garza (Carolyn Bliss) Health Sciences LEAP University of Utah Background Students living in low income communities in the Greater Salt Lake region may perceive higher education as unattainable. The University of Utah is partnered with Mountain View Elementary to partake in a community-based service learning project to promote college awareness. Volunteers via the Health Sciences LEAP program were assigned to individual third-grade classrooms to enhance and influence students'desire to pursue college education. Methods Volunteers weekly attended assigned classrooms to assist teachers in daily lessons (i.e. mathematics, language arts). In addition, four career presentations alongside with activities were carried out by volunteers to demonstrate the importance of acquiring a college degree. A pre-survey on college and career understanding were administered upon initial contact with the students, followed by a post-survey at termination of the service project. Results Survey responses were analyzed to examine the effectiveness of volunteers' influence on students' desire to pursue a higher education. Pre-surveys demonstrated students' ability to acknowledge the idea of college, in addition to their uncertainty about attending college. In contrast, post-surveys displayed increased knowledge of college opportunities and career possibilities acquired by higher education. Results indicated a positive relationship formed between volunteers of the University of Utah in collaboration with students from Mountain View Elementary. Conclusion Consistent attendance and gradual relationship building amongst students confirmed positive influence. Program demonstrated an effective strategy to increase college awareness and interest in students' living in low income communities. Future directions within this program strive to create milestone opportunities for students' pursuit of higher education. |