Dozens of high school students stepped off buses at UC Merced on a toasty Monday last summer, coming from Stockton, Modesto and Merced to spend a few days exploring college opportunities.
They were part of a special program, the 1300 Campaign, which aims to increase the number of young men of color attending University of California and California State universities by 2025 and 2026.
The students attended a summer academy, staying at UC Merced for four days and three nights. In addition to activities and tours on campus, the students visited California State University, Stanislaus, and Yosemite National Park.
William Fergreno and Jesus Plancarte from Thomas Downey High School in Modesto were among this year's attendees. Both also came for the academy last year and said they were eager to return.
"Honestly, I was bored at home," said Fergreno, 16, who is a junior. He said he was interested in looking at UC Merced's medical education program.
Plancarte, 17, said he isn't likely to attend college in the Central Valley because "there's a lot of pollen and I have allergies," he said. But he was interested in seeing what's available locally.
Daniel Lepe, director of the Office of State College Preparation Programs in UC Merced's Center for Educational Partnerships, said about 60 students took part from the Northern area. A group of 1300 Campaign students from Madera to Kern counties had their own summer academy.
Though event organizers would be happy if the students chose UC Merced for their higher education path, that's not the point.
"We are really trying to cultivate a college-going mindset," said Orquidea Largo, associate vice chancellor and chief outreach officer. "This isn't a recruitment effort; it's part of our public service mission."
Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz welcomed the students to UC Merced and thanked them for taking part in a program that will help them achieve an education beyond high school.
"Coming here changes the course of your life in a way you can't anticipate," the chancellor said. "It gives me a great deal of hope to see all the things you will do."
He also said the students are a resource for the university and will help the campus achieve its own goals.
"You're here to help us just as much as we are here to help you," he said. "We need your kindness, we need your intelligence, we need your resourcefulness, we need your vision."
For many of the students, it was their first college visit. In addition to touring the campuses of UC Merced and California State University, Stanislaus they took part in activities at both universities, attended lessons in financial literacy and career planning, and even competed in a hike and scavenger hunt in Yosemite.
"We're hoping this is a turning point for them," Largo said. "They get a taste of college life."
