For Chris Wieland, the biggest struggle was writing assignments. For Khaliah Kelly, it was time management.
The two University of Missouri–St. Louis freshmen spent many a Saturday morning on the UMSL campus when they were still in high school, sharpening their skills in certain subjects and reviewing material in others.
They were making the most of UMSL’s Bridge Program, which provides precollegiate services to hundreds of St. Louis youth and their parents each year to help them successfully prepare for college. In the meantime, Wieland and Kelly got acquainted with the university – a place they decided to return to as undergraduates this fall along with 15 other Bridge participants.
“My mom always had me involved with outside-of-school, still-school-related activities,” said Kelly, a graduate of McKinley High School and now a biology major. “[Bridge] was a great way to network and grow academically. And you get to know the campus.”
Kelly decided to attend UMSL as a college student after first intending to go out of state and then having second thoughts.
“UMSL was the best bet,” said Kelly, who plans to become a pharmacist. “It’s really close to home, and at the end of the summer I realized I didn’t want to leave.”
Reviewed 2014-10-21