APU students have partnered with Azusa Unified School District through the C.H.A.M.P. program to teach young children the benefits and realities of a college education.
The C.H.A.M.P. program, for students who are “College Headed and Mighty Proud,” is also geared to give prospective teachers the opportunity to encounter real-life experiences in instruction and touch on issues within the classroom such as race and cultural diversity.
“I have been so impacted by the C.H.A.M.P. program because I can tangibly see the difference that is being made,” said Kristyn Hernandez, its director. “The fourth-graders gain valuable learning of the college experience and gain a vision of themselves as a college student one day.”
According to the C.H.A.M.P. website, APU students who are enrolled in EDLS 405 Diversity in the Classroom get the chance to participate in the program and become a mentor. The mentors are assigned to one of three local elementary schools and placed into a classroom to work with 5-7 students.
The mentors teach C.H.A.M.P. program curriculum that covers college admission, financial aid, career exploration and other higher ed-related topics. Mentors get the freedom to determine how the curriculum is implemented in the classroom.
“It is exciting to see the things that they are learning,” said Hernandez of the APU mentors. “They begin to gain a deeper understanding of their own privilege and how to leverage it to support others.”
Each mentor also participates in an APU visit day when the elementary school students take a tour around campus and see a glimpse of college life. The semester culminates with a C.H.A.M.P. graduation.
“It is exciting to see the broad range of careers that they want to be when they grow up, such as nurses, teachers, engineers and artists,” Hernandez said.
The students are told of their college leader before the first day of the program. Junior liberal studies major Brittany Clone was a mentor.
“My favorite experience was my first day meeting my C.H.A.M.P. group,” said Clone. “They were so excited to meet all of us. They even made me a poster with my name on it that I still have to this day! It was exciting because we knew that throughout the course of the semester we would build solid relationships and inspire them to go to college one day.”
APU students enrolled in EDLS 405 are able to debrief their experiences with the children during their lecture.
“I love the way the program integrated what we talked about in class into our experiences with our small group,” Clone said.
According to the program’s website, C.H.A.M.P. “integrates practical site experience of diversity in elementary school settings into the college classroom.”
“I was able to learn a lot about the Azusa community through this program, and my eyes were opened to a community of children not believing they could go to college,” Clone said. “It’s awesome knowing that C.H.A.M.P. has played a role in inspiring kids to achieve in the classroom so that they can attend a college or university.”
To learn more about the program, contact the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research located in Magnolia Court on East Campus.