College paves way for Dieruff students
Bloomsburg University reaches out to high school in Allentown
Destiny Smith wanted to go to college — she just wasn’t sure where to apply.
At the urging of one of her principals, the Dieruff High senior signed up for a dinner with Bloomsburg University representatives in Allentown back in October. There she talked to Bloomsburg students and university President Bashar Hanna.
Meeting one-on-one with Hanna piqued Smith’s interest in the college. Soon after, she took a field trip to Bloomsburg with her parents and grandmother. She fell in love with the scenic campus and diverse student population she saw.
And Destiny’s search for a college to apply to was over.
“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s the place I want to be,’ ” said Smith, 17. “It was settled.”
Smith was one of several students who took part in Dieruff’s new partnership with Bloomsburg University: the “Husky to Husky Pipeline.” The program, taking its name from both schools’ mascot, fostered a relationship between the Columbia County college and the Allentown high school. Its aim was to encourage more Dieruff students, many of whom are low-income and potential firstgeneration college students, to apply to Bloomsburg.
It seems to have worked. About 50 Dieruff students applied to Bloomsburg, with around 40 being accepted. That’s an increase from previous years, when around 30 applied to Bloomsburg.
For Bloomsburg, the “Husky
to Husky Pipeline” serves as a recruitment tool. Like most schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Bloomsburg has seen dropping enrollment for almost a decade.
In 2010, 8,600 undergraduates attended Bloomsburg; that number has since fallen to 7,500.
What makes the Dieruff and Bloomsburg partnership unusual is that Bloomsburg leaders, including Hanna, made themselves accessible to Dieruff students.
There was also an emphasis on including parents in events. In addition to the dinner that both parents and students were invited to, Bloomsburg sent a bus to Allentown for students and their families to visit the school, about 90 minutes away.
The “Husky to Husky Pipeline” was the brainchild of Dieruff Vice Principal Mike Makhoul. Makhoul, the son of Syrian immigrants, was a firstgeneration college student at Penn State University and understood the application process could be overwhelming for students unfamiliar with higher education. He reached out to Bloomsburg because he has a personal relationship with Hanna, an Allentown native and a fellow first-generation college graduate.
Makhoul wanted the program to help alleviate anxieties students had in applying to college.
“A lot of [first-generation students] shy away from the application process, even though they have ample qualifications and abilities,” he said. “They opt instead for community college.”
Dieruff senior Savannah Kratzer said she understands how intimidating the college application process can be. Kratzer, who lives with her mother, will be the first in her family to go to college. Bloomsburg was the only college she applied to, and Kratzer was accepted into the school’s nursing program.
She has yet to mail in her deposit because she’s working with her guidance counselor to figure out financial aid. “I’m still trying to figure things out,” she said.
Hanna, who immigrated from Syria with his parents when he was 10, shares his experiences growing up in Allentown with Dieruff students.
He credits his teachers at Ritter Elementary in east Allentown for helping him succeed.
“This is a little bit of giving back,” he said.
About 32 percent of Bloomsburg’s 7,500 students are the first in their family to go to college. Enrolling first-generation students is a priority for Hanna, and he said he would like to see the Dieruff program expand to Allen High and others.
The personalized visit is what persuaded Dieruff senior Alexia Galloway to apply to Bloomsburg. Galloway, 18, thought she wanted to go to Temple University, but her mom was hesitant, concerned about crime in Philadelphia.
When Galloway and her mom visited Bloomsburg and met school officials, both decided the school would be a good fit. Galloway also will be the first in her family to go to college.
Dieruff senior Jeannelys Rosario felt at home, too, when she walked around campus. Born in the Dominican Republic, Rosario, 18, lives with her dad in Allentown and recently became a U.S. citizen.
It was important for her to know she would be supported at college.
“It seemed they want everyone to succeed,” Rosario, a firstgeneration student, said.
While about 40 Dieruff students have been accepted to Bloomsburg, only a handful have mailed in deposits. Makhoul said this is when students try to figure out financial aid and apply for scholarships.
Smith, whose parents are separated, was fortunate to receive a full-tuition scholarship to Bloomsburg.
“It’s helping a lot,” she said. “My mom’s working all the time, but sometimes it’s really hard. Now we can breathe.”