It’s hard for students to dream about college until they can really see what college has to offer.

With the help of an Imagine Fund grant, Ummi Modeste-Rogerson, a college and career advisor at City-As-School HS (NY), was able to bring the campus experience to her high school students.

The grant funded charter buses and food as the group of students visited Onondaga Community College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Broome.

“Our students come from all over New York City, but most have never visited a college campus outside of our local community college and many will be first-generation college students. These trips were eye-opening for our students and introduced them to a whole new world of opportunities,” Modeste-Rogerson said.

“Because of the Imagine Grant, our students were able to see themselves on college campuses, having that residential college experience that they’ve only read about or seen in movies. The trips also gave college admission personnel the opportunity to meet us and our students in person, so that they have a better understanding of our school and the students we serve.”

Donate Now: Imagine Fund grants offer financial support to individuals or NACAC affiliates. Funds are used to support professional development, as well as innovative programs serving students and/or the profession.

Pam McKeta is NACAC’s ​associate director of communications for digital and print media. You can contact her at pmcketa@nacacnet.org.