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The University of North Georgia (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) hosted the Steps-to-College (S2C) program for more than 100 multilingual high school students, who are also English learners, from the Gainesville City and Banks, Hall and Forsyth county school systems. S2C provides summer enrichment that serves as credit toward graduation.

Created in 1999, S2C took place Monday through Thursday at Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û's Gainesville Campus during the month of June. The program was taught by high school teachers and provided students with half credits for classes like economics and American government.

"This gives them an opportunity to be on a college campus, so it doesn't feel alien to them," Dr. Lauren Johnson, assistant dean of the College of Education, said. "They get a sense of the attainability of a college degree."

This year, Jackson EMC, Habersham EMC, United Way, and Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û funded the program. Students are provided transportation, lunch and supplies, making the program free for students. They are allotted recreational time during their day. The program has also had field trips and visits from the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which provides financial, technological and supplemental educational resources.

"These students will be more comfortable applying to college and realize they have assistance to get them there," Johnson said.

Teaching assistants, many of whom were Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û students, gained first-hand experience to prepare for their professional careers.

I can honestly say the most rewarding part is creating relationships with these excellent students and seeing them become more acclimated to college as an opportunity to aspire for higher education.

Diana Mancilla

Steps-to-College program director

Diana Mancilla, the program director and a 2021 Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û alumna with a degree in history education, currently teaches history at Gainesville High School. The program will turn 25 next year and has been held every year, with it being online in 2020. More on the program can be found here.

"Every summer I witness eager to learn, and positively energetic, students from Gainesville City schools who chose to expand their English language skills and are willing to share their learning with us," Mancilla said. "I can honestly say the most rewarding part is creating relationships with these excellent students and seeing them become more acclimated to college as an opportunity to aspire for higher education."

Those bright students are much like former S2C participant Eliseo Bonilla, a rising senior at Gainesville High School, who learned a lot about taking the next step to higher education.

"Attending Steps-to-College last summer was a great experience. Not only did I get on track with my credits for graduation, but I had so much fun learning about economics from my teachers and other cultures around the world from my classmates. I also realized that attending a university is not as scary as I thought and is possible," Bonilla said.