In eighth grade, college may seem light-years away. But with a strong high school academic career increasingly critical to college success, The University of Toledo helps show eighth-graders what they are working toward during their high school years.
 
On Wednesday and Thursday, July 19 and 20, about 50 eighth-graders from across northwest Ohio participate in an overnight program designed to offer students a glimpse of the academic and recreational life of a college student.

Students participate in programs across a range of academic subjects that emphasize the importance and the real-life applications of math, science and technology.

“We want to emphasize that the next four years are very important,” said Michele Martinez, a UT graduate student who is coordinating the event. “We want these students to be comfortable on a campus and be able to picture themselves in college. We hope that this experience helps inspires them to pursue higher education and to choose The University of Toledo when they do.
 
Students will also hear from Daniel Omar Paez, a Perrysburg police lieutenant, and Jose Salinas, director of the Ohio Migrant Education Center, both of whom attended college after beginning life as children of migrant workers.
 
The program is an offshoot of May’s annual Latino Youth Summit, and many of the students attending the day-and-a-half event will be from migrant families. The program includes opportunities for students to experience UT’s Student Recreation Center.
 
Students investigate subjects listed by disciplines at the following times:

·   Engineering: July 19, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Nitschke Hall  Rooms 1095 and 1098;

·   Education: July 19, “CSI” forensic program, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., Nitschke Hall Rooms 1052 and 1074;

·   Library: July 20, 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., Carlson Library Rooms 1009, 1021, 2000;

·  Pharmacy: July 20, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Wolfe Hall Rooms 3246 and 1956.
 
For more information, contact Martínez, at 419.277.4294, or Jon Strunk, media relations specialist, at 419.530.7832.