Blue Mountain Community College was this week awarded a $5,000 grant to help bring high school and BMCC students together to improve the transition from high school to higher education.
Campus Compact of Oregon awarded the mini-grant to BMCC, and the funds stem from a larger $50,000 grant Campus Compact was selected to receive from NobleCause, which promotes civic engagement.
Campus Compact selected three Oregon colleges and universities to receive grants ranging from $4,000-$5,000 to promote connections between college and K-12 students in each community as part of the organization’s REACH (Racial Equity Across College and High School) project. Besides BMCC, Mt. Hood Community College and Oregon State University were awarded grant funds.
The $5,000 grant will enable BMCC to deepen the experience of Oregon Transfer Days by strategically pairing high school students with a current BMCC student based on similarities in demographics for maximum support and relationship building. The pairs will explore the College together and discuss the transition from high school to higher education, and the challenges they may face. They’ll also work together on a pre-determined project that will provide a service to the local community.
“This program provides high school students with the opportunity to experience a college campus and make the transition from high school to college more attainable, thanks in large part to the generosity of Campus Compact,” said Dawn DiFuria, BMCC’s Director of Student Outreach and Leadership.
