On Monday, April 3rd, 8th grade OLHMS students participated in the 1st ever College Tour! Our College Tour was set up by Dr. McNichols, who got in contact with Moraine Valley Community College and Trinity Christian College. Between our 8th grade, 8A students went to Moraine Valley Community College and 8B went to Trinity Christian College.
When students stepped on Moraine Valley and Trinity’s campus, they were welcomed by staff and students. At both Moraine Valley and Trinity, students broke off into different groups and were led by a professor or student from the school. At Moraine, students were broken off into 12 groups and toured Moraine’s campus. When Spencer reflected on his day at Moraine, he said that “I learned so much about different programs and opportunities available at Moraine. It honestly inspired me and motivated me to do more research on what I want to do when I get older.” At Trinity, students explored the dorms, cafeteria, classrooms, library, facilities, and the beautiful campus. The wonderful tour guides provided a plethora of information regarding the school and every place students explored. At the end of the tour, students had an opportunity to reflect on the day and create questions they could ask a panel of Trinity students. Students created great questions, and they received detailed responses from five Trinity students and a professor. Grace reflected on her day at Trinity, and she said “I didn’t know what to expect, but I really loved walking around Trinity’s campus. I learned so much about the university and college in general. I’m so thankful we had this opportunity!”
When students got back to school, they completed a reflection document pertaining to their future profession and conducted research about their desired profession. Students stated that they enjoyed this activity because it “put everything into perspective.” Below are some highlights from Moraine Valley’s presentation:
Moraine Valley Highlights
~Approximately 1 in 3 area high school graduates close to attend Moraine Valley
~Ranked in the top 10 among 48 community colleges in Illinois and 9th safest community college in country
~Over 130 associate degree and certificate programs to choose from
~96% of Moraine Valley students grade with no student loan debt
~Only Illinois college to offer Chrysler Automotive Program and first in the state to office Nissan/Infiniti Technician Training Academy
~Among a select group of Illinois community college with a Fire Science Academy
~One of the few Illinois colleges with a Deaf Studies/Sign Language Interpretation Program
~Science building with a cadaver lab
