Reaching Higher

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 3. 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 seniors and discuss post-secondary education opportunities.

The visits include brief presentations on financial aid and college admissions followed by college fairs. The first will take place at Santa Maria, Righetti and Lompoc high schools Tuesday, March 2. The event will move south to Dos Pueblos and Carpinteria high schools Wednesday, March 4. College fairs and presentations will be held at Channel Islands, Hueneme and Santa Paula high schools Thursday, March 5. The week will conclude with visits to Fillmore, Rio Mesa and Pacifica high schools Friday, March 6.

In all, more than 3,000 seniors from 11 high schools will meet with representatives from the UC, California State and California Community College systems. A host of other private and public colleges and universities will be represented, including Westmont College and California Lutheran University, among others.

Out-of-state colleges and universities represented include Maryvill University of St. Louis, Southern Utah University and the University of New Mexico.

“EAOP staff have hosted Higher Education Week for 12 years running in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties,” said EAOP Director Britt Ortiz. “The event cuts across several school districts from Santa Maria all the way out to Fillmore. The team brings recruiters, admission representatives, financial aid staff, Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation teams, faculty and undergraduates to promote higher education opportunities locally, across California and throughout the country.

“Our team collaborates with the high school counseling teams at each school, college reps from all over the state and country, and they deliver this event to the front steps of each participating high school,” Ortiz continued. “Hats off to them for making this happen for so many first-generation, low-income and/or under-resourced students at these 11 participating sites. The team has a commitment and passion for helping as many students as possible to understand and pursue their post-secondary educational options and opportunities.”

UC Santa Barbara 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 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 the programs 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.