Grade-schoolers prepped for graduation, beyond

The Class of 2021 college graduates got a peek at the future Thursday.

It was all thanks to the Arizona Western College/Northern Arizona University-Yuma campus I'm Going 2 College event.

Five classes of fifth-grade students from Roosevelt and Carver schools had the opportunity to skip a few grades by spending their "first day" of college and study on an accelerated track.

During a morning session, students attended college classes in science, art, math, career technology, graphic design and leadership. After classes, students assembled at the AWC Theater to receive certificates of achievement and to hear from campus administration.

Alvina Johnson, assistant director of enrollment services, told students they and their teachers should maintain high expectations to graduate high school.

"But between now and then, there's plenty of things you must do to ensure you graduate on time to enter the college of your choice. That's what I call a goal with a deadline."

She added that college offers a career versus just a job, and college can help a person find their passion, which leads to a happier life.

Mandy Heil, AWC administration and outreach coordinator, said the idea was to give students a taste of college and all the possibilities it affords.

The road to any success starts with the first day of college, stressed Larry Gould, NAU-Yuma campus executive officer. He praised the students for taking an early initiative in their own future. And he hoped he would see them again in seven years as the freshman Class of 2021, he said.

"Your college degree is the springboard to your success in life. Without a degree, you don't stand much of a chance with the jobs of the future. There are so many things you can learn at college and we're glad to see you on campus today."

Rosaisela Estrada, 11, a fifth-grade Roosevelt student, said the certificate of achievement she received was "cool." While Rosaisela liked the science class  best in her day at college, she has her sights on a different career.

"I'd like to be a criminal lawyer. I'd like to go to college in Florida. I don't know the name of it but I found it online and they have a lot of Internet connections."

Classmate Matthew Diaz, 10, said he also thought science was "pretty cool."

"I think I want to be a veterinarian. I got a cat at home and there's a lot of alley cats on my block I like to play with."

Donna Davis, Roosevelt fifth-grade teacher, said it was a wonderful program to get children to think about college and it motivated them to start setting goals.

"It's great exposing kids this age to college. The earlier the better. I think it's much better when they visit a college than when you just talk about it. With a  hands-on experience, they're likely to remember it better and follow through on the effort."