This content was published: February 27, 2012. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Southeast Center visits Alder Elementary School for College Adoption Day
Story by James Hill. Photo by Christine Egan.
PCC’s Southeast Center adopted a school on Friday, Feb. 24.
The campus participated in College Adoption Day, in conjunction with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation, by welcoming Alder Elementary School to its family and visiting several classrooms. The PCC contingent included Ewald Estanis of Haiti (student body president for ASPCC Southeast); students Olman Sandoval of Honduras and Chanh Truong of Vietnam, Orientation Coordinator Luis Rodriguez and Interim Southeast President Craig Kolins. This is a two-year commitment by the college, which will include more activities with the Alder kids, campus tours, and more visits by additional PCC staff and students. Staff will also mentor Alder students.
PCC students along with Southeast Interim President Craig Kolins (far left) talk to first and second graders at Alder Elementary for College Adoption Day.
The group visited three first and second grade classrooms, two of which were Spanish bilingual, and shared information about PCC and inspiring stories about college in general, including the countries they were born in and their path to making it to higher education. Classes had about 27 students each, kids were ages 6-8, and reflected a broad diversity of ethnic backgrounds, from Laos, Mexico and eastern Europe, to name a few.
The purpose of the visit was to encourage and provide a variety of services to the students with the long term goal of graduating them from high school and get them enrolled in college. Alder is one of the poorest schools in the state where about 90 percent of the students receive subsidized lunches.
“I don’t plan to give up my studies, even if it is difficult sometimes,” Sandoval told the kids. “You have to keep fighting, keep learning. Just keep on going – keep that passion for learning.”