A First Look At College

For many of the students at Northeastern Randolph Middle School near Liberty, N.C. — and for many other students around North Carolina — college isn’t necessarily perceived as an option.

To pique her students’ interest in college, Tonda Hinson, a seventh-grade teacher at Northeastern Randolph, and other teachers have been turning to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for inspiration.

Through First Look — a first-of-its kind program launched by Carolina’s Visitors’ Center in 2008 — middle school students receive an early glimpse of college life through classroom discussions and an on-campus tour led by UNC-Chapel Hill students.

“First Look helps at-risk students understand why there’s a long-term reward for academic achievement, using our campus to illustrate the general experience of college without promoting any specific university,” Missy Julian-Fox, founder of First Look and director of the Visitors’ Center, said.

Read the complete Carolina Story…

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