The Gavilan College, Jr. Rams Club hosted an essay-writing
contest for students at local middle schools. The club is for
sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students and is intended to
”
plant the college seed
”
in young minds.
The club hosted the essay-writing contest to get students
involved and get them connected to Gavilan. The topic was
”
What I want to be when I grow up and why.
”
Maria Espinoza, an eighth-grader at Gabilan Hills, won the
contest. She was invited to read her essay at the Gavilan College
Board meeting, held at the Hollister City Chambers and was given a
recognition award.
The Gavilan College, Jr. Rams Club hosted an essay-writing contest for students at local middle schools. The club is for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students and is intended to “plant the college seed” in young minds.
The club hosted the essay-writing contest to get students involved and get them connected to Gavilan. The topic was “What I want to be when I grow up and why.” Maria Espinoza, an eighth-grader at Gabilan Hills, won the contest. She was invited to read her essay at the Gavilan College Board meeting, held at the Hollister City Chambers and was given a recognition award.
Judy B. Rodriguez, the site director for Gavilan College, said Espinoza was shy, but overcame her shyness when she spoke in front of the large crowd.
“It was a great accomplishment for her,” Rodriguez wrote in a press release. “I hope she remembers her experience and someday turns to Gavilan to help her reach her goals. Her mom was very proud of her.”
Rodriguez said that she hopes Espinoza remembers her experience and that Gavilan College can help her with her future plans when she is older.
Espinoza’s essay is below.
The Jr. Rams Club started back in 2008 and currently has 50 members. Rodriguez and other members of the college community created the club as part of a Gavilan Leadership Development class. The issue they wanted to address is the fact that while many middle school students have expectations of going to college, they don’t always have the information they need to adequately prepare for higher education.
The club was formed with four goals in mind – increase outreach activities by making middle school students aware of the educational and student service options at the community college level; increase the visibility of Gavilan College in San Benito County at the middle school level, including knowledge of main campus activities such as Science Alive, GavFest and College for Youth; increase awareness of financial aid opportunities such as waivers, grants, scholarships and other student services; and build strong relationships with future students and their parents.
The original club project proposal cited other university efforts to do early outreach to students, as well as efforts by other nearby community colleges. The group also did some preliminary surveys of middle school students to find out if they wanted to go to college, if they had an idea of a future career and if they knew about financial aid. The survey, given at Marguerite Maze and Rancho San Justo middle schools found that 95 percent of the students said they wanted to go to college. Only 20 percent said they didn’t know what they wanted to be when they got older.
Middle school students who are interested in joining the Jr. Rams Club, can call Judy B. Rodriguez, Site Director at 636-3783 or e-mail her at [email protected].
Jr. Rams Club winning essay, by Maria Espinoza
What I want to be when I grow up is an artist, designer, and an explorer. I want to be an artist because I like to draw. I like to do things that are creative and fun. I also want to be a designer because I want to create something new for the future. I would like to design something fun and crazy. I would also like to be an explorer because I want to discover new things for people to see. I would like to travel the world, meet new people and interview them. I would like to go to Costa Rica and admire their waterfalls. I like to discover and make new things. I’m a person who is creative, so I would like a job that’s unique, fun and crazy.
