Inyo County students get glimpse at college future
Field trip to Reno provides look at college education
Students and 25 chaperones from Inyo County visited Reno, Nevada, in November to tour Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) and engage in a variety of activities at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) campus.
The goal of this overnight field trip is to expose students to postsecondary education and subsequent opportunities.
A report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce projects that “72% of jobs will require postsecondary education and training in 2031” - a 4% increase from the 68% documented in 2021.
This field trip is the first in a series that introduces students to postsecondary education in an effort to help guide high school education decisions for students.
Students and chaperones departed Inyo
County Nov. 15 and arrived in Reno in the afternoon at either the Dandini or Edison TMCC campus where staff welcomed students to eat a sack lunch.
Students toured the TMCC campuses and then traveled to the UNR campus for a welcome session from Inyo County graduates currently attending UNR and to watch the men’s basketball game. UNR won and Inyo County students were featured on the big screen! It was an exciting game and experience for students.
On Nov. 16, students toured the UNR campus, watched a show in the Fleischmann Planetarium, walked through the Lilley Art Museum, ate lunch with college students in the Pack Place dining commons, had the opportunity to experience a chaperoneled activity, and traveled back to Inyo County in the afternoon.
Student feedback Here’s what students shared about the experience:
“Everything was great – the people, the lunch – everything surprised me, I really love UNR.”
“I was surprised that the first UNR building in Reno was built in 1886.”
“At the university I felt good and I loved the central part with all those Palladian and eclectic buildings, although there I tried the worst coffee of my life.”
“I feel like my opportunities are very open for after high school, and it was a good experience to see the place I might choose to go to college at.”
“Spending time on the campus made me feel pretty excited to get to experience many things and what college is about. What it meant for me to be there was cool because I saw many cultures and that everyone is their own person.”
“I felt a mix of emotions because I guess everything was a little bit overwhelming for me it meant sort a lot for me because of the opportunity I had that not everyone has”
“It felt weird imagining being a student there.”
“I already know I want to go to college but this gave me a genuine experience of how it would be.”
“It felt pretty cool to see what a university was like. It meant to me that maybe one day this could be me going to a college like this.”
“It was pretty fun. It helped expand my options.”
“It was very cool to see all of the classes but it kind of opened up some opportunities that I’ve never thought of before.”
“It was really fun. I loved being at the basketball game with my friends and it is my favorite sport so I was really happy that we got to go.”
This opportunity was made possible by the Inyo County Office of
Education with support from Bishop, Big Pine, Owens Valley, and Lone Pine schools.
ICOE extends sincere gratitude to all of the teachers, bus drivers and parent volunteers who served as chaperones during this trip.
Additionally, ICOE appreciates all of the support from TMCC and UNR staff that welcomed Inyo County students onto their campuses.
Next up, all eigth-grade students will visit the local Cerro Coso Community College campus to rotate through a variety of sessions that elaborate on things learned and experienced during this trip.