2018
COLLEGE TOUR
COLLEGE TOUR - DAY 1
I apologize for the delay with this email. Those of you who have not taken the tour before, I normally share the previous day's experience at the start of the new day. I promise to do better tomorrow.
I have noticed that many of you have visited our Facebook page. You got to see the photos and watch the videos of the information sessions at Wake and Winston-Salem.
If you have not found us on Facebook, our group name is, St. Luke "Community" UMC 2018 College tour. This is great way for you to experience the tour in real time.
To recap the experience from yesterday. The following was shared (with a few changes) by Pastor Parker:
"Yesterday was a good first day. We left the hotel early and headed to Winston-Salem State (WSSU). We had our first group devotional and they brought such exuberant energy that set a great tone for the day. They ended by singing Smile by Kirk Franklin. We arrived at WSSU and had a candid conversation with the admissions team. They shared grat information about the university and opportunities for scholarships. The students were divided into 2 groups and then toured the campus. We had lunch at the campus Chik-FIl-A and played a little basketball with some of the students on campus.
After lunch, we visited Wake Forest. Our visit began with an information session that focused on the academics at Wake Forest and the ethnic diversity on their campus. After the information session, we took a bus tour of the campus.
When the tour ended, we headed to Greensboro for the evening. When we arrived in Greensboro, the students toured the International Civil Rights Museum, the museum is located at the site where the lunch counter sit-in movement began in 1960. (https://www.sitinmovement.org/about/). All of our students were affected by the pictures and scenes depicted at the museum.
At the end of the museum visit, everyone had dinner on their own at the mall. We then spent the remainder of the evening at our hotel.
These students are so energetic and fun to be around. They asked great questions and have been engaged during every visit."
Thank you Pastor Parker for sharing and parents I hope you got some insight on the tour's first day experience,
Stay Positive, there is more to come
COLLEGE TOUR - DAY 2
The group's first stop for the day was North Carolina A&T. For those of you that are not aware, A&T is the nation's largest HBCU with an undergradute enrollment close to 10,000 students. It was also somewhat of a homecoming for one of our chaperones, Katrina Stevens and which is evident in the video where she is leading the group in an A&T chant. The enthusiasm exhibited on the previous day appears to be alive and well at A&T.
The next stop was North Carolina Central. The group arrived a little late for their information session but the admissions office did take a moment a provide them with an informal session in the hallway outside the conference room. The highlight of the campus tour was the campus art museum that contained the works of several prominent African-American artist, such as, Barthe, Bearden, Lawrence, and Catlett. The campus tour was very enriching. One of the chaperones that had visited the campus the last time the tour visited Central made the following comment about the campus, "...much improved campus look".
Tuesday was travel day. After visiting the two campuses, the group boarded the bus and started a three hour bus ride to Hampton, VA.
It will be interesting to see if the level of enthusiasm will prevail today. The group will visit Hampton, Norfolk State and then spend a relaxing afternoon at the beach.
Day 3 Stay Positive, work hard...
COLLEGE TOUR - DAY 3
The day started with breakfast and our daily devotional. The students were also given the opportunity to share their college tour knowledge and win prizes from the college bookstores.
The first visit of the day was Hampton University. After an information session with the admissions office, the group was treated to a personal campus tour by, Mariah, the friend of a former student of our lead chaperone. Parents you cannot believe how receptive the Hampton University was to our visit. Brain Mays, a parent and a graduate of Hampton, made several contacts prior to our visit. The head of admissions called me last week and shared that she had received numerous phone calls about our visit and assured me that the group would be well received. A former instructor of Brian called me while the students were on the campus to make certain that the students were having a good visit. Finally, it was really a treat for the group to have a current Hampton student to take a few hours of her time to give the group a personal tour of the campus. Kudos!! to the Hampton University community.
Norfolk State was the next visit. The visit with Ms. Garcia, the admissions counselor, was not an ordinary college information session. The session began with Ms Garcia demanding and getting the attention of the group. She shared her personal experiences, made sure that the group understood where they stood at this moment in time, and made certain the students knew they owned their personal successes. Sherry, the lead chaperone, also commented that there has been a lot of improvements to the campus since her last visit with a college tour group.
After the Norfolk State tour, the group boarded the bus and headed to Virginia Beach. A few hours later, the group was heading back to North Carolina and the chaperones were thankful that everyone had an enjoyable time at the beach.
Each day, in order to get a different perspective, I talk with a different chaperone. The chaperones have been very complimentary of your children. The group has to be reminded of a few things from time to time, but when it really matters, chaperones say they have been an outstanding group. Therefore, on behalf of the chaperones, I would like to say thank you, your child is representing each of you well.
Saturday will be here before, we know it.
College Tour 2018 Stay Positive, work hard, and make it happen.