Seventh-grader Vivianna Cabrales eagerly walked around the San Diego State campus on Saturday with her mother, participating in the 13th annual Compact for Success campus visit to SDSU, which targets seventh grade students.
Approximately 3,300 students from the Sweetwater Union High School and the San Ysidro School District toured SDSU, learned about college and discovered opportunities awaiting them.
Viviana is currently a SUHSD and although she is five years away from graduating high school, she is already thinking about college and knows she wants to be a doctor.
Viviana’s mother, Adriana Cabrales, also had her two sons participate in Compact for Success. Adriana said her daughter seems even more excited for college because of this program.
“She wants to apply for college now,” Cabrales said. “Now that they are telling me that she has a guarantee, that’s just awesome.”
In 2000, SDSU partnered with SUHSD to increase the educational opportunities for graduates. As a result, graduating high school seniors within the district who meet specific requirements are guaranteed admission to SDSU. Some of the requirements include a CSU GPA of at least 3.0, continuous enrollment in the SUHSD and four years of English classes. There are Compact mentors that work at SUHSD middle and high schools who help students stay on the right track.
As students ran around and parents collected fliers, mentors for groups such as SDSU Student Accounting Society, education savings planning and Educational Opportunity Program waited at booths ready to answer any questions.
The program also included a live DJ and free food for all participants.
SDSU alumna and Compact for Success staff member Yohany Corona said this year’s campus visit had the biggest turnout.
At the welcome ceremony to start off the day, a banner reading “Welcome class of 2018” hung above all the seventh graders heads.
“We want them to be on campus at SDSU and feel like they are a part of college already,” Corona said.