Local Students to get first-hand look at higher learing

Bigs on Campus program kicks off at KCC, KVCC

A desire to directly introduce local students to higher education through mentoring is leading to the launch of a new Big Brothers Big Sisters’ program named Bigs on Campus.

Kellogg Community College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College are piloting the program this upcoming school year. The program will bring middle school students to the KCC campus twice a month to meet with their mentors, while high school students will go to KVCC two times a month for mentoring. At least 20 students will take part in the program’s pilot phase during the 2015-16 school year.

“The goal is to have students begin to think about where they might want to go (to continue their education after high school), not if they want to go,” says Ciji Gamble, Kalamazoo Promise counselor for Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Kate DeGraaf, service learning manager for Kellogg Community College says Bigs on Campus will offer faculty and staff a way to volunteer that is convenient but meaningful. “Service is interwoven in the Kellogg Community College culture,” says DeGraaf, “so it will be nice to have an opportunity on campus to accommodate faculty and staff who want to reach out and have an impact.”