APTOS — MacQuiddy Elementary School fourth-grader William Perez hopes to become an astronaut, a goal that could mean one day being among the first earthlings to step onto Mars.
He may have taken the first step toward that goal on Friday, when he and 3,000 of his peers visited Cabrillo College for the annual Samper Fourth Grade Experience. The event was launched in 2012 to spark interest among young people in continuing their education after high school.
Classmate Lizbeth Ramos, who has plans to become a doctor, said she was similarly captivated by the demonstrations.
“It was fun to see the science people,” she said.
Such future thinking is nothing new for fourth grade teacher Betty Aboytes, who said she makes it a point to connect each field trip — which she instead calls “field studies” — to a possible career, often grilling their hosts about their jobs.
“I really appreciated the fact that the fourth-graders were provided the opportunity to see what the college has to offer,” she said.
The college was playing host to more than 30 schools from across the county, for a program designed to show young people that post-secondary education is an attainable goal.
“It’s a great opportunity for the fourth-graders to get to experience our college and programs and get them excited about coming here,” said Cabrillo College President Matt Wetstein. “It really is designed to foster a college-going mindset.”
At the heart of the event lies the idea that exposing kids to college before sixth grade increases the likelihood they will attend one and graduate.
“This is a chance for you to see into your future, and to be a student for the day,” Cabrillo Student Employment Coordinator Desha Staley-Raatior told a group gathered in the college’s Samper Recital Hall.
The students then watched science instructor Alicia Bierson conduct a scientific experiment, which resulted in foam spewing out of several bottles. This elicited gasps and cheers from the audience, which was precisely Bierson’s goal.
“I’m trying to get them really excited about going into the sciences,” she said.
The Samper Fourth Grade Experience is run by Santa Cruz County College Commitment, which is organized by all Santa Cruz County K-12 school districts, Cabrillo College, CSU Monterey Bay, San Jose State University and UC Santa Cruz. It gets its name from Barbara Samper, who donated $1 million to the program.
