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EHE News

Appalachian spring break helps young Ohioans

group at cabin

On their spring break, five Ohio State friends encouraged children in Vinton County, Ohio, to prepare for college. The five included human nutrition major Nicole Swartz, second from right, and Asia Little, left, Sierra Zwilling, Catherine Packer and Steven Redd.

7-30-10

With traditional jobs for southern Ohioans now scarce, Ohio State has launched Access to Education, an effort to encourage area youngsters to prepare for college. It includes recruiting students, faculty and staff as volunteers for service projects between quarters.

Nicole Swartz and four friends decided paying $75 each to advise students in beautiful Vinton County during spring break 2010 was worth every penny.

From headquarters in a log cabin at Lake Hope State Park, the team went to schools to talk about college preparation with juniors and seniors as well as third, fourth and fifth graders.

"I felt right at home [in Appalachia]," said Swartz, who will be starting her second year in human nutrition in autumn 2010. Coming from rural Berlin Heights, near Sandusky, Ohio, she could relate to the decisions facing the Vinton County youth.

Another volunteer, team advisor Alison Baker, is from Ohio's Appalachian region. Unlike Vinton County, however, Baker's hometown Washington County has Marietta College and Washington State Community College nearby.

As an academic advisor in the College of Education and Human Ecology's consumer sciences department, Baker knows distance from higher education opportunities is one factor in why Appalachian graduates may not attend college.

She and Swartz hoped they could show Vinton County residents that overcoming geographic, economic and other barriers to get degrees is worth the effort.

Preparation for college starts in elementary school

Nicole Swartz

Nicole Swartz

Alison Baker

Alison Baker

The team emphasized the need to think about college early on. Their presentations, adjusted to the age of their audiences, are based on four steps developed by the Ohio College Access Network. The KnowHow2Go program advises:

In a slide presentation for the juniors and seniors, the team noted advantages to attending college that include meeting new people, limitless options and independence. One popular plus was "going to class in pajamas."

Swartz recalled, "I was really excited when one girl told me she was thinking about going to Boston, but then said, 'You made Ohio State sound so cool, I want to see if I can go there.' "

Participants learn from each other

The team focused on hands-on fun for younger students. Baker explained that the districts asked for a science and engineering component because students' scores in those subjects are lower than desired.

With the help of Travis West, 4-H educator for OSU Extension in Vinton County, Swartz and her teammates devised an assignment to build a roller coaster using foam tubing and marbles as tracks and cars.

"The group did a nice job of integrating science and engineering" in the message that college is vital, Baker said.

"I would urge anyone in higher education to consider participating in this kind of program," Baker said. "It was nice to give back to Ohio."

"I got a lot out of being in the Vinton classrooms," Swartz said. She and her friends brought their insights back to the Columbus campus, where they are guides for Blueprint: College 2.0, which is a program for families, both parents and their students, in eight underserved Columbus City Schools. All year long, they meet with the youngsters and explain the promise of a college degree.

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