EUGENE,
Ore. -- (Aug. 3, 2009) - Attending college for some students seems daunting to
impossible. Where do I start? What is it like? Will I succeed? How can I pay
for it? Their parents, many of whom never went themselves, are also unfamiliar
with the process and how to support their child in pursuing a higher education.

For underrepresented
and low-income students with the academic drive and aspirations of personal and
professional success, senior year of high school is often too late to help them
pursue the variety of higher education options.

A
group of students entering ninth grade will come to the University of Oregon for
a seven-day residential experience. The students will start the academic program
on Monday, Aug. 3, which focuses on academic and cultural themes, leadership
training and teamwork building.

The
Oregon Young Scholars Program, in its fifth year, is designed and organized by
the UO's Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED). The mission is to
prepare and support low-income, first-generation students - and their families
- for a college experience.

"These
are young people who show the capacity to succeed," said Carla Gary, the
program director and an assistant vice president of OIED. "Our work is to help
them see that they are capable, to help them feel confident, and to learn the
language of education - to know what a college track and admissions process are
like."

The program aims to reach students during
eighth grade, but encourages participants to return each year through 12th
grade. Currently, the students in their final year of the program are finishing
a week of career and internship counseling, college test preparation sessions,
and learning about financial aid, admission, scholarships and resume
preparation. A trip to Ashland provides a theater experience and an
introduction to Southern Oregon University. Today, they will join the other
participants for the regular session.

Thisweek, 42 students, from the Eugene and Portland areas, will be immersed in a
curriculum that includes attending classes in math and English in the morning
and then split into groups that focus on projects in business, sociology,
public planning chemistry, art or law.

The
student project work will focus on a specific design problem - the development of
a sustainable residential, retail and transportation system incorporated into
the Lane Community College (LCC) complex.
The groups will present their final projects and designs on Friday
afternoon. One group project will focus on the process of creating life-sized
cutouts of the students to place within the LCC landscape. In addition to
learning the techniques needed to create art, the project will allow for
students to discuss a broader theme of identity, place and belonging.

"Oregon
Young Scholars prepares students who are academically competitive in high
school to be scholars, either in an academic field or at a professional
school," said Gary. "It also helps to train future community leaders who not
only have multiple perspectives, but who may empower communities that are least
served, to shape the quality of others' lives."

OYSP requires
parent participation. Parents attend sessions to get an understanding of how to
support the academic and collegiate aspirations of their students. They also attend
some of the academic and cultural programs during the week. Parent and family
involvement has increased participation of younger siblings in the program.

For a
schedule of activities, contact Tracy Ilene Miller, communications strategist,
Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, 541-556-3699.

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