80.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesEudora Kean Students Need $80,000 for College Tour

Eudora Kean Students Need $80,000 for College Tour

Feb. 12, 2007 — The guidance counselor at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School has big plans for 40 of her students: a trip to 10 colleges between New York City and Washington, D.C.
There's only one wrinkle in the plan: "We need to raise $80,000," said Monique Matthias. She wants her students to set their college sights high, and she planned the trip to expose them to schools they may not know about.
With the trip scheduled for March 30 to April 7, she's running short of time. Even though the students are busy raising money, and Matthias expects some help from corporate sponsor Marriott, they'll still need help from the community, she said.
"The future of the Virgin Islands depends on an educated population," Matthias said.
The trip will give the students an opportunity to tour campuses and meet with counselors. Vanessa Tamar, 17, is going.
"It's a good opportunity to see if a specific college is good for me," she said.
J'Nay Penn, 15, also plans to go. She's looking forward to seeing the college campuses and learning what college life is all about.
"And it's good to see what colleges are available to us," she said.
Many of the students will be the first in their families to attend college, Matthias said. Most are juniors, with a smattering of sophomores and seniors.
Many public high school students don't realize they can get into colleges like Columbia in Manhattan, which is Matthias' alma mater, she said, noting that scholarships are available to help defray college costs.
Only a few schools visit the Virgin Islands to recruit students, so the students and their families don't know anything about them, Matthias said. Often students pick schools in Atlanta and Florida because that's all they've heard about, she said.
On the tour list are Columbia University, New York University, Temple University, Rutgers University, Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University and the University of Maryland.
The trip will also expose students to places the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the theater in New York, Matthias said.
The counselor said she opened the college-campus tour to good students, as well as those who are not at the top of the class, because the underachievers often need extra help.
"I want to give everybody a fair chance," she said.
To help the students on their tour of college campuses, send a check to the Guidance and Counseling Department at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School. The address is 6501 Red Hook Plaza, Suite 3, St. Thomas, V.I. 00802. Call Matthias at 775-6380, ext. 2109, for more information.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.