Undergraduate Service Project Encourages Pipeline to Higher Education

On May 1, residents of the UC Irvine Education Theme House “Careers in Teaching” journeyed to Tewinkle Intermediate School in Costa Mesa for the culmination of their 2008-2009 service project.

The theme house residents, all undergraduates with an interest in education, had been writing to members of Mrs. Jackie Washington’s Tewinkle AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) class. On the basis of their correspondence, they had designed a service project to support student interest in higher education in general and UC Irvine in particular.

At Tewinkle, the nine undergraduates introduced themselves and identified their majors, which included Civil Engineering, Public Health Policy, History, Social Ecology, French, Math, and English. Four tables were set up, and Mrs. Washington’s class divided into four groups to participate round-robin at each table. One table featured a Jeopardy-style game where the AVID students were asked a series of questions about college preparation and attendance, such as, what is a major, what tests are needed to apply to a UC, what types of financial support are available to attend college, and what is the UC Irvine mascot. Another table was devoted to understanding the components of a good resume. A third table focused on interviewing skills. The final table featured the popular game Catch Phrase as a way of emphasizing that learning, and college, should be fun.

There are four AVID classes at Tewinkle, each serving as an elective class. Students apply to be accepted into the program and must be recommended by a teacher. As AVID members, students receive information about preparing for college, assistance with study skills and note-taking, and individual tutoring.

"Careers in Teaching" residents participating in the Tewinkle Visit were Jullian Anderson, Angela Archer, Daniel Audelo, Maddie DeArcos, Rachel Holland, Carrie Metzgar, Jonathan Schembari, and Kaitlin Zusy.