Oasis Academy Students Road Trip for College Tours

By Leanna Lehman —  Students from Oasis Academy went on their first college tour to five colleges and universities in Northern California. When Principal Rochelle Tisdale suggested that Oasis students who are thinking about attending college after graduation take a campus tour, there was no trouble getting students on-board. According to Cheryl Venturacci, Oasis Academy academic advisor, she and counselor Andy Lenon did the groundwork in reaching out schools in preparation for the tour, and then turned over the planning to goCAMPUSing, a company that specializes in setting up college tours. There was a minimal charge to students while Oasis and supporters were able to cover the remaining tour expenses. Hotels, meals, and tour guides were scheduled for the three-day, two-night Northern California College tour. Students visited several colleges, including UC Berkley, UC Davis, Sonoma State, and Sacramento State. Venturacci, Lenon and government teacher, Willy Martin accompanied the 40 students on their trip. With one bus and parent volunteer, Todd Goss, Oasis Academy was able to give their students a first-hand look into what lies ahead if college is the choice. Helping students navigate the application process, knowing what it takes to get into college, and being ready when the time comes are among the top priorities for Oasis. Their goal is to prepare students for the process and make sure they really ready. According to Venturacci, “some students don’t understand what you need for certain schools.” There are a host of factors including GPA, ATC, and SAT test scores, essays, and college admission guidelines to consider. Also, students need to understand that acceptance rates among colleges and universities vary. While UNR has an 80% acceptance rate for students, Berkley accepts a mere 17%, yet boasts a 91% graduation rate. College tours give students an opportunity to see first-hand the climate and culture of each school. Of the colleges toured, each one had a different vibe that appealed to students in different ways. Education is power, even when it comes to getting an education. In addition to the California experience, Oasis students explore all possibilities. “We take them to UNR each year,” Venturacci explains, “It’s amazing how much they get out of it if they have never been on a college campus. They see the flow of how the classes work, and they see kids studying in coffee shops together.” Even Harvard is on the list of universities to inquire about, Venturacci stated, “We spoke to Harvard three weeks ago to get information for our students.” College Green Light, a helpful resource for college applicants is a one-stop-shop allowing students to look at all the information about a specific college, the dorms, GPA requirements, and even help students determine the chance being accepted. By their junior year, Oasis works to have students selecting their preferred top-five colleges and will begin working with both students and parents this semester to achieve that goal. However, Oasis is aggressively grooming students for a college career long before the 11th grade. An 8th grader attended the college presentation this year, according to Venturacci, “This is the first time we’ve done that.” Students had some encouraging comments about their college tour. Sophomore Alia Adams is leaning toward Sonoma State or UC Davis, of which she liked the community feeling. The tour “was a good experience and got me out of my comfort zone,” stated Adams. “There is a lot more I could actually see instead of just looking online.” According to Adams, “Sonoma proved to have everything –all the classes I want and two sports I would want to do.” Trevor Halloran, a freshman student said that it was “really fun to go and see the different colleges and get a feel for what college will be like, even though they were physically close, each one is different.” While Oasis is considering expanding its tour to include San Francisco and Chico State, the students were taken in by the college vibe. A classroom may still be a classroom, but according to Halloran, “the ice cream is good, the food is good, and it’s cool to see students hanging out with each other.”     Read more local news at The Fallon Post — return to the home page If you like what we’re doing with this local news project, please support our efforts and make a contribution today — link to set up contribution