Early College Exposure for LMS & KIPP

On Monday, April 30th, a group of seventh graders from Landrum Middle School and sixth graders from KIPP Courage at Landrum spent the day as prospective college students on a visit to Texas A&M. The visit is part of the mission of both Landrum and KIPP Courage to expose students to college campuses early and give them a taste of what the college experience is like.

Landrum and KIPP Courage students visit Texas A&M

The 91 KIPPsters earned the trip by having demonstrated positive behavior traits that are tracked as part of KIPP’s character education.  The 18 Landrum Students were all pre-AP students and were identified as positive role models in the community. The group also included 7 KIPP teachers, 2 Landrum teachers and chaperones from the KIPP Courage community.

The morning included a tour of the campus, led by a current A&M student, a visit to Kyle Field and a trip through the Memorial Student Center.  Landrum art teacher Andres Bautista arranged for eight of his former Landrum students, all now current students at A&M, to eat lunch with the group and answer any questions they had about the college experience. “I think that by meeting these former students, [our current students] realized they too can to go college,” said Mr. Bautista.

Students view insects in A&M's Entomology Department

Before starting the journey back home, KIPP Courage teacher Jazmin Castillo, an A&M alumna and Entomology major, arranged for the students to tour the Entomology Department. Led by two current doctoral students, the visiting KIPPsters and Landrum Lions were given the opportunity to examine various insects under specialized microscopes.

When asked to reflect on the trip, Landrum 7th grader Anel Sosa noted, “My favorite part of the Texas A&M trip was walking around campus looking at buildings, especially the library. I learned that students over there take everything seriously, especially the tests…they are also very proud of being there, learning as many others learned before them.”

KIPP Courage 6th grader Jabril Diop added, “I learned that it takes hard work and patience to get to college. I would consider attending Texas A&M because it seems like a great place to learn on and off campus.”

KIPP Courage students visited nearby Rice University last fall. In May, they will embark on a three day “Tour de Texas” to visit a selection of colleges and universities in San Antonio and Austin. In March, a group of Landrum students attended Xplore UT, an event which included a tour, a meal at the dining hall and the opportunity to attend a Longhorn football practice and march with the Longhorn band. The trip was offered as part of Landrum’s T-2-4 district initiative.