Ninth-graders at an after-school mentoring meeting are talking about studying, tests, teachers and grades, but they are thinking about college.
Even though they have their high-school careers ahead of them, they are planning for college because they are afraid of one thing – they may not be able to go. Lower grades and especially lack of money could keep them from reaching their educational goals.
They joke about not wanting to work at low-paying, unskilled jobs all their lives, but there is a noticeable undertone of seriousness. They say they want to "be somebody," "do something" and "have a good life." A majority of the students' parents did not attend or never finished college.
"I think it's going to be hard to get a scholarship, and you will have to look since you are a freshman," said Glenwood Springs High School student Giovanny Anaya.
The students come to the mentoring program for moral support, peer motivation, camaraderie and role-model guidance in their academic struggles and achievements.
The freshmen are part of a new Pre-Collegiate Program in the Roaring Fork School District aimed at guarding against dropouts and at increasing enrollment in post-secondary education. The free program targets middle- or high-school students who are economically challenged or have "first generation" college potential.
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