More than 80 high school and middle school students caught a glimpse of college life Wednesday during the College Student for a Day program.College Student for a Day is a program that works in partnership with Communities in Schools, a nonprofit agency that works within the Fort Worth Independent School District to help at-risk students stay in school through high school graduation.
TCU hosts CSFAD twice a year and has participated in the program for three years.
The high school and middle school students experienced a day in college life, which included going to class, eating in the Main and stopping by dorm rooms.
Terence Kennedy, a representative for the center for Community Outreach and Service Learning, said most of the students who participate in the program will be the first in their families to attend college.
Kennedy said CSFAD serves to expose students to college life and dispel myths about college, such as needing to be wealthy or needing to own a computer to attend.
TCU students voluntarily signed up to have a high school or middle school student shadow them for the day.
Megan O’Brien, a freshman art history major, signed up to show students around and teach them about college life.
O’Brien said she wanted the students shadowing her to get a firsthand experience of a day in college.
“I want them to know what they’re getting into and to see if TCU is right for them,” O’Brien said.
Amanda Armstrong, a junior at the Keys Learning Center, was assigned to follow O’Brien for the day.
Armstrong said she wanted to be a college student for a day to see what college is like and to know what to expect in the future.
“What scares me most about college is just finding my way around and knowing where to go,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said she is interested in possibly coming to TCU and hopes to learn what it is all about.
Shelley Marshall, a representative for Communities in Schools, said some of the high school students participating in CSFAD will not only be the first in their families to attend to college, but also the first to graduate from high school.
Marshall said CSFAD provides a chance for TCU students to give back to the community.
“Many students have found the program is rewarding, and some of the TCU students keep in touch with their shadows,” Marshall said.
Marshall said CSFAD is a program that will definitely continue in the future.
“We achieve our goal if we ignite even a spark of interest in college,” Kennedy said.
