Conduit for College

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UC Santa Barbara will hold its annual spring Higher Education Week, a four-day traveling college fair, beginning Tuesday, March 6. Representatives from universities, colleges and other institutions of higher education will visit high school campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to meet with high school juniors and discuss post-secondary education opportunities.

The visits will include brief presentations on financial aid and college admissions followed by college fairs. The event will start at Santa Maria, Righetti and Pioneer Valley high schools Tuesday, March 6, before moving to San Marcos, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria high schools Wednesday, March 7. College fairs and presentations will be held at Rio Mesa, Pacifica and Channel Islands schools Thursday, March 8, with a Parent Night at Santa Paula High School from 6 to 7 p.m. The week will conclude Friday, March 9, with visits to Fillmore, Santa Paula and Channel Islands high schools.

In all, more than 4,000 high school juniors will meet with representatives from the University of California, California State and California Community College systems. A host of other private and public colleges and universities also will be represented, including Westmont College, California Lutheran University, the New School of Architecture and Design, the San Francisco Academy of Art and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.

Out-of-state colleges and universities being represented include the University of Hawaii, Manoa; Colorado State University; the University of Florida; the University of Arizona; the University of Idaho; the University of Nevada, Reno; and University at Albany.

“The fact that we have been hosting this event, usually twice a year, for over 10 years is a testament to the importance of the event and the significance of the opportunity for any student, but more importantly for first-generation college-bound students who need to see, hear and feel the reality that they, too, can make their college dreams come true,” said EAOP Director Britt Ortiz.

UCSB EAOP seeks to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps to increase the number of students who have the opportunity to attain a postsecondary education. EAOP focuses on four key strategies — academic advising, college knowledge, academic enrichment and entrance exam preparation — to help students reach college eligibility and participate in higher education.

A variety of pre-college programs offered by EAOP on an annual basis give students the opportunity to visit UCSB, tour campus labs, meet with faculty members and conduct research or participate in other academic enrichment activities. Among their special events and services are annual transcript evaluation, academic advisement, academic achiever’s receptions, study skills and testing strategies, college readiness seminars, the Education-Leadership-Careers Conference, UC Success Night and college readiness academies.