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THE PESA POST
The latest news, views and announcements from
Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

November 10, 2022
BRIDGING THE COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE GAP
Staff lead a campus tour for students and highlight academic programs, resources and student life
Deciding to pursue a college degree can be a huge step in a young person’s life. But far too many students across Los Angeles County lack the resources to learn about their higher education options. This academic year, PESA has stepped in to provide this essential service at Los Angeles Leadership Academy High School (LALA). PESA staff members Jesus Gonzalez and Devapriya Roy, who are recent college graduates themselves, lead this effort by coordinating with LALA’s administration and local public and private universities. 

The first of these field trips occurred at the University of Southern California (USC) on October 19. Over 60 eighth graders were led on a tour around USC's wonderful campus and had the opportunity to see its numerous academic buildings, athletic facilities, and social gathering spots. PESA interns and current USC students Diana Salkic, a senior studying Political Science, and George Yi, a sophomore studying Creative Writing and Psychology, co-lead the tour and provided students insight into what it is like to actually attend this prestigious institution. Salkic shared that “it was fun to tailor the tour information to the students’ interests and watch the excitement build about all the different options that are available in higher education.” Yi echoed those sentiments and stated that he hoped he “was able to share some valuable insight that could be of inspiration to the students.”
During the tour, students gained a more complete understanding of the college experience, from seeing the buildings where they would attend lectures, to the libraries where they would study, and the quad where they would spend time with their classmates! One of the students shared that “the field trip was fun and that [they] hope to go to school there like their brother.” PESA’s goal is for these students to view college as a real possibility, a sentiment shared by LALA teacher Danielle Lohr, who stated that “touring a college campus is a great way for students to start planning their futures; they can meet and see students like themselves and realize that college is an attainable and realistic goal!”

We will be continuing our field trip series in November, where we will be leading a tour at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) for another cohort of LALA’s high school students. ■

If you’d like to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us.