UW-Whitewater at Work: Milwaukee Milwaukee Riverside students make a campus connection
Released: November 29, 2004
The ‘Wheels to Whitewater’ program, part of UW-Whitewater’s efforts to promote student diversity, is providing a unique exposure to campus life for hundreds of Wisconsin students from the African-American, Latino, Southeast Asian and Native American communities.
“We’re giving students who might not otherwise have the chance to visit other colleges the opportunity to do so,” said Rob Gambsky, assistant director of multicultural student recruitment. “It’s another way for university and prospective students to make personal connections.”
During a recent visit Nov. 18, a group of 29 juniors and seniors from Milwaukee Riverside High School traveled to UW-Whitewater for the “Southeast Asian Achievers” WTW program. The group toured the campus and met with representatives from Student Retention Services, Southeast Asian Support Services, McNair Scholars, the Minority Business and Teacher Programs and Financial Aid.
“During the program we talk about our support services and let the students see what our campus is like,” Gambsky said. “We also like to have the visiting students talk to students on campus of the same ethnicity. It is a strong recruitment tool for us.”
Among the Riverside High School students participating was Pacha Vang, who is interested in UW-Whitewater’s pre-dentistry program. The senior arrived on the Whitewater campus having narrowed her college choices to UW-Whitewater and St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn. Vang says the No. 1 question answered during her visit dealt with financial aid.
“My mom is single and paying for my college education will be a big part of where I attend,” Vang said. “The answers I received today will really help my decision.”
Another student, Patrick Lor, has been interested in UW-Whitewater as his college choice for the past couple of years. The school’s multicultural ethnicity and its prestigious business school make UW-Whitewater the top campus choice right now for Lor.
Gao Thao says she is leaning toward UW-Whitewater to pursue her career goal to be a kindergarten teacher. “Today’s trip to Whitewater allowed me to more fully understand what is going on in college and what you need to learn,” Thao said. “I would like very much to attend UW-Whitewater.”
Even though Mychua Vang is just a junior in high school, she is looking forward to a career in dentistry. She says that it is important to start considering college choices with still more than a year left in high school. UW-Whitewater’s multicultural diversity made a big impression on the high school junior’s first visit.
“I really hadn’t thought much about UW-Whitewater prior to making today’s trip,” Vang said. “Whitewater has made a big impact with me on my first visit.”
Gambsky said that 40 to 50 percent of the students who participate in Wheels to Whitewater normally apply for university admission, and about 25 percent of those visiting students end up enrolling at UW-Whitewater. This fall, a record 240 multicultural students enrolled at the university, which comprised 13.7 percent of the freshman class.
- Tom Pattison ,pattisot@uww.edu
