Posted on Jul 16, 2002

Schenectady, N.Y. – About 80 minority high school students from the Capital Region will get a taste of life at “Camp College” this weekend at Union College.

“There are so many minority and underprivileged students in Capital Region who simply don't think of college as an option,” said Kelly Herrington, associate dean of admissions at Union and organizer of the camp. “If we get at least a few of these students to think about college it will be worth it.”

Students arrive Friday afternoon (July 19) and stay through Sunday afternoon for a weekend that includes sessions with professors and college admissions counselors; simulated classes in African art, engineering, religion, and history; stargazing in the College's observatory; and demonstrations by the Hamilton Hill Drum Troupe.

The 80 students in grades 9 through 11 are divided between 14 schools in the Schenectady, Albany, and Troy communities. One hundred percent of these students are either of color or will be the first person in their family to attend college. On their nomination forms campers have listed their career goals as ranging from becoming geriatric neurosurgeons to owning car dealerships. The 28 mentors represent colleges and high schools from Long Island to Buffalo.

The weekend was made possible in part by grants from the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling. Herrington works closely with a number of community service organizations, from the Newburgh Community Action Committee to the Urban Scholars Foundation, to recruit and transport campers. “I felt it was important to use these community organizations to identify candidates for this camp,” Herrington said. “Often it is the minister, mentor or social worker who best knows the students we should be reaching.”

For more information, go to http://www.union.edu/Admissions/Events/CampCollege/ or call Kelly Herrington at 388-6585 (where he can be reached throughout the weekend).