Gwinnett County, Ga. (August 15, 2006) – Fifty-five students from Meadowcreek High School in Gwinnett County participated in the inaugural year of an intensive pre-collegiate summer school program, “Steps to College-Gwinnett,” which is part of the latest University of Georgia outreach effort to encourage minority students to attend college.

The program, held July 5-28 at Georgia Gwinnett College, targets middle school and high school students in Gwinnett County whose first language is not English. The students, representing 11 countries, received school credit for participating in the program and for completing hands-on projects related to the “Water is Life” science theme. Students also visited UGA, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Gainesville College and met with representatives from public and private universities who answered questions about college life.

“By far the most important thing the program did was build a college-going mentality among the students,” said program director Bernadette Musetti. “By the end of the program, 92 percent of the students said they plan to attend a four-year college.”

“Steps to College-Gwinnett” is administered by the University of Georgia College of Education’s Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education (CLASE) program and is supported by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

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This article was posted on Tuesday, August 15th, 2006 at 10:31 am and is filed under Program News, News.