According to the U.S. Department of Education, an estimated 50 percent of college students are “first-generation college students, or students whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education.”
In 2014, Vicki Quisenberry, the director of the Foundation for Daviess County Public Schools, and the late Jim Carter, former executive director of the Murray State University Alumni Association, had a discussion on how to increase the number of Daviess County students attending Murray. The two alumni worked together to create a plan that would provide funding and transportation for many first generation DCPS high school students. That fall, Jim arranged funding to not only provide transportation for forty Apollo and Daviess County High School students to visit Murray State, but he also ensured that the students received lunch and college T-shirts. Since that first year, two to three buses of DCPS students have gone to visit Murray State, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Western Kentucky University, the University of Louisville, and the University of Southern Indiana. The host college or university has provided transportation, and often lunch as well. Any expenses not covered by the colleges or universities are paid for by the Foundation or by the generous donations of an anonymous local business.
Kids on Campus visits are intended to be so much more than a tour around the grounds to locate the bookstore and eating area. Students are given the opportunity to speak with admissions officers, financial aid counselors, career services, and those that specialize in first year experience programming. Each individual student’s interest is also taken into account to ensure that they are able to visit and speak with a dean or professor that would represent their desired major. According to former Apollo High School student, Connor Dame, “While many colleges send representatives to inform students at school, most of them say the same things, leaving students with the impression that every college is the same, with only cosmetic differences. Visits, however, help students make up their minds much easier, as well as helping them identify whether the college in question would be a fit for them.”
“This was perhaps the single greatest opportunity of my life. Visiting colleges eased any thoughts of not being good enough for college, not feeling like I belonged, and completely washed away the fear of not choosing the right university. Those campus visits created a surreal feeling inside me; there were now limitless possibilities and accomplishments that my future could hold.”
– Marco, former AHS senior
“All throughout high school, I was set on attending a college in Owensboro after graduation. However, God seemed to have a different plan for me. My senior year, I visited Murray State University for the first time with some of my classmates through a Kids on Campus trip. I had no idea that trip would change the outlook I had on my future. Murray was voted the ‘Friendliest Town in America,’ and after that one visit, I couldn’t have agreed more with the title. I knew that was where I wanted to be.”
– Madison Stallings, MSU junior and Elementary Education major
“We’ve seen so many students impacted by Kids on Campus trips. For countless students, these trips have solidified their plans and helped them decide which campus is right for them.”
– Amanda D. Jerome, College & Career Readiness Coordinator
“The Kids on Campus program is a truly innovative program and it demonstrates the commitment of the Foundation for Daviess County Public Schools to make every effort to provide students with an opportunity to visit colleges and universities in the region. We have experienced consistent and significant enrollment of students from Daviess County…(which) has grown to more than three times the enrollment we had as recently as five years ago. I have found that we’re a great fit for many of the students in Owensboro and an affordable option as the students in Daviess County qualify for our in-state tuition rate.”
– Rashad Smith, USI Director of Undergraduate Admissions
“Typically we open these trips up to juniors and seniors at Apollo, Daviess County High and Heritage Park High with a particular interest in recruiting students from free/reduced lunch or first generation homes. Our goal is always to fill the bus anytime we send one to a college campus, and rarely do we have a problem doing so!”
– Amanda D. Jerome, College & Career Readiness Coordinator
By the Numbers:
Kids on Campus Growth Report
In the fall of 2017 DCPS students visited:
9/25/2017 Kentucky Wesleyan College with one bus
10/20/2017 University of Southern Indiana with three buses
10/23/2017 Western Kentucky University with three buses
11/2017 University of Louisville with two buses
11/20/2017 Murray State University with two buses
Spring 2018 enrollment/admissions numbers of DCPS students:
KWC has seen a 33% increase since the Fall of 2013
USI has seen a 54% increase since Fall of 2012
WKU has seen a 42% increase since Fall of 2014
UofL has seen a 47% increase since Fall of 2014
MSU has seen a 48% increase since the Fall of 2012
If you would like to support the Kids on Campus program, please make donations to:
Foundation for DCPS
Attn: Becky Whitehead, CPA, Treasurer
P.O. Box 21510
Owensboro, KY 42304
Additional resources that may be helpful to students preparing for college:
www.ustrive.com — connects high schools students with a mentor to help guide them through the college application process
imfirst.org/colleges — I’m First! is an initiative of Strive for College, an online community celebrating first-generation college students. Students can view video stories from first-gen students, read student blogs, and discover colleges that have special programs to support first-generation students.