At just 12 years old, Brandon already has his sights set on San Diego State. Yannick, 11, wants to follow in his favorite teacher’s footsteps and attend UCLA. And 7-year-old Lani dreams of going to Cal State San Bernardino.
These future scholars were among the students in our after-school program at the Mountainside affordable housing community who spent a recent afternoon exploring college and career pathways. Through the Building Bright Futures initiative, kids learned fun facts about universities, their programs and mascots – then designed flags to represent their collegiate goals.
For some, this activity reinforced a familiar dream. For others, it sparked a new one.
“I want to go to UCLA because my teacher went there, and I want to be just like her,” Yannick said.
Studies show that exposing children to college and career paths at an early age prepares them for an open-ended college experience.
Hope through Housing is proud to create a space where young minds can imagine endless possibilities and start building the skills to get there.