November 5th, 2018
On Tuesday, October 30th, CCA’s Jessie and Rodney accompanied 20 of their students on a college visit to Temple University in North Philadelphia. The day began with high levels 
of excitement and energy as students began trickling into the Promise Corps room around 8:15 a.m., where the OHS team took roll and prepped students on the eventful day ahead.
As 9 a.m. approached, OHS students and CCA’s headed to the bus stop and prepared to navigate SEPTA together. After riding a bus, the MFL and then a subway, the group arrived promptly at Temple’s Howard Gittis Student Center, ready to begin the tour! Students were greeted and led through the tour by an enthusiastic student from Temple, who provided detailed insight about the campus, specific programs and student life at the university.
After a brief introduction of the university and student center services, OHS students were guided through numerous buildings, including Samuel L. Paley Library and Alter Hall, Temple’s School of Business building, where students were given the opportunity to hear about the different resources available to business students. Additionally, the group was provided information on important landmarks and common hang-out spots around campus. After receiving ample information on academics, admissions, and student life at Temple University, the tour concluded at the famous Temple Owl Statue, where CCA’s debriefed with students & took a few pictures to celebrate the end of a successful tour.
To give you a sense of our students’ experience, we interviewed senior Destiny Burton about her time at the university:
Jessie (CCA): What did you go into the Temple Trip expecting and what did you get out of it?
Destiny: I was expecting to get more knowledge about Temple University and I got what I expected.
Jessie: Can you share some of the questions you asked? What did you like?
Destiny: I asked what the admission requirements were, how the cheerleading squad is, and what the tuition is. It was a beautiful, peaceful campus, and they gave us a lot of good food. The students around campus were friendly.
Jessie: What did you learn about this experience?
Destiny: I learned that schools in the city often have a lot more students than schools located outside of the city.
Jessie: What are the things that you liked about Temple that might push you to go? If you were to tell other students about how to prepare for college trips, what would you tell them to do?
Destiny: I liked the atmosphere of the campus and how you can make your own club if you have a good idea. Your voice matters to them. I would tell other students to wear their best smile, behave themselves, and ask many questions.
Over the next few weeks, the OHS team will be planning several more college trips for our students, including tours of Delaware State and East Stroudsburg University.
-Jessie Klein, College & Career Ambassador at Overbrook High School
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