As a college prep school, one of the focuses of junior and senior year at SJA is the college search. Recently at SJA, four students had the opportunity to partake in one of the most fun parts of this process: college visits. Juniors Malae Hill, Renee Olateru, Lauren Shocker, and sophomore Yareli Martinez traveled with Dr. JuliaWilkins-Khormann, Director of Diversity, Culture, and Climate,and college advisor Annie McKenzie to California as part of a pilot program to tour and experience schools. 

The group left Wednesday, March 1, and arrived in San Francisco early in the morning on Thursday. The crew toured the University of San Francisco (USF) and enjoyed lunch on campus. Then, they shopped and traveled to Ghirardelli Square where they enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant. 

Friday morning they drove to St. Mary’s College located in the small town of Moraga, about 20 miles outside of San Francisco. While there, they participated in a campus tour and enjoyed lunch on campus. The group then drove to Santa Clara University located in Santa Clara about 45 minutes outside of San Francisco. They wrapped up the day with dinner from In and Out, and ice cream from PinkBerry. 

Saturday was the “fun day” of the trip. It started on Lombard Street in San Francisco where the group shopped, snacked, and took in the sights. They were able to see the famous prison Alcatraz and cute houses and shops on their way to the Golden Gate Bridge where they took photos and looked around. The next stop of the day was the small fishing town of Sausalito, followed by hiking in the Muir Woods, the day wrapped up in San Francisco’s Chinatown where the group enjoyed some delicious dim sum before heading back to their hotel for the night to pack for their flight the next day. 

Junior Lauren Shocker was thrilled to be one of the students in this pilot program. 

“I learned so much, it was amazing. I have never visited a college before, but going and seeing three colleges with a college advisor and diversity coordinator helped me focus on what is most important. The trip truly helped me understand what I want in college,” Lauren said. 

Junior Renee Olateru had a similarly positive experience. 

“Seeing the different types of schools helped me obtain a better understanding of what type of college I want to attend. Because of this trip, I can most definitely see myself attending a school in a big city,” Renee said. 

The students and faculty that traveled to California for this trip found that it was a truly enjoyable experience. The trip was beneficial to the students’ college searches and provided insight into the schools they want to attend. SJA’s first college visit trip was a big success for its attendees.