Today, all students at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders are embarking on a school-sponsored field trip to college campuses across Central Texas—the first large-scale college visit field trip in the school’s history—as part of the school’s annual College Week festivities.
“We expect 100 percent of our students to attend college, so we arrange opportunities for students to visit 20 college campuses before they graduate,” Principal Jeanne Goka said. “Students become sophisticated about what they are looking for in a college. At first, the sixth graders are impressed mostly by the big buildings and older students, but quickly they fine-tune their criteria to look for more precise and meaningful attributes that will fit their goals and dreams.”
The school will divide college visits among grades:
- Sixth-grade students visit the University of Texas at Austin
- Seventh-grade students visit Texas Lutheran University and Texas State University
- Eighth-grade students will visit Sam Houston State University
- Ninth-grade students visit St. Mary’s University
- 10th-grade students visit Baylor University
- 11th-grade students visit Texas A&M University
- 12th-grade students may select a campus or visit the University of Texas at Austin with their sixth-grade, little sisters.
The college visits are a key part of AISD’s initiative to ensure students are prepared for college, career and life. The district also provides students with resources and assistance with applying for financial aid and encourages participation in the national ACT and SAT exams in addition to arranging/coordinating visits to college campuses.