{"id":36299,"date":"2026-07-06T10:13:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cucsj.org\/?p=36299"},"modified":"2026-07-06T10:13:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:13:45","slug":"communivercity-brings-college-to-the-elementary-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cucsj.org\/vi\/2026\/07\/06\/communivercity-brings-college-to-the-elementary-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"CommUniverCity Brings College to the Elementary Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By Dana Poon<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inside a 5th-grade classroom, chatter began to decrease as the teacher introduced a student from San Jos\u00e9 State University. Elementary schoolers leaned forward in their seats as a 4th-year Public Health SJSU Student started his presentation, describing what it\u2019s like to study at a university. The SJSU student began to describe their life in college, what it\u2019s like to work as a student, and the different activities they are involved in on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In late October 2025, the CommUniverCity team visited Stonegate Elementary School located in East San Jos\u00e9. Each team member gave a 30-minute presentation to 4th through 8th graders, covering basic topics about life as a student in higher education. College majors, favorite aspects of campus life, academic challenges, and practical advice on how these students can start preparing for higher education were the main topics discussed in these classrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The purpose of this visit was to increase early exposure to higher education for students who may not have direct access to that information at home or school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CommUniverCity\u2019s Community Outreach Program Coordinator, Alicia Allan, helped organize the visit in collaboration with Stonegate\u2019s administration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis was our first time working with Stonegate,\u201d Allan said. \u201cWe were thrilled to bring College Day presentations to 4th-8th graders for Fall 2025. As I was walking around to the 10 different classes, I saw so many of the Stonegate students engaging with the SJSU students and asking about their interests and experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Principal Jahsve Worthy, Stonegate Elementary currently lacks a college or career exploration component in its curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMost of these kids don\u2019t have much exposure to college, especially our eighth graders,\u201d Worthy said. \u201cThey\u2019re at an age where they\u2019re starting to think about their future, but many of them don\u2019t know what options are out there yet.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Worthy also mentioned that she has been searching for an advisor, but with the position currently being unfilled, she is grateful for CommUniverCity stepping in to help with the task.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c\u200b\u200bThe school is in need of college and career readiness advisors to help give students more exposure to future opportunities,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For SJSU student and Project Coordinator Emily Dairokuno, who helped lead one of the sessions, the visit was both educational and eye-opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI had a few conversations with students in the class, and one of them mentioned that they had bad grades, so they probably wouldn\u2019t be able to go to college,\u201d Dairokuno said. \u201cIt was a reminder of why these visits are important to show students that college is still possible, no matter where they\u2019re starting from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dairokuno said that many of the students had never talked about college before, so hearing directly from university students gave them a new perspective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of each college presentation, the elementary students filled out surveys about their experience with College Day. In a question that asked if they were more confident about attending college now that they had sat through the presentation, 174 out of 197 elementary school students said \u201cyes\u201d or indicated they wanted to learn more about college after the presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBefore the presentations started, I talked with some of the students, and a few said they weren\u2019t going to college,\u201d Allan said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t that they didn\u2019t want to go; they just didn\u2019t see it as an option. The answers that these students gave me probably changed after the presentations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Allan mentioned that the youth in these low-income communities are often impacted the most because of the lack of available resources, which is why CommUniverCity is dedicated to helping address these challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is exactly what Principal Worthy wanted for her students\u2013to experience college and career exploration initiatives since the school has not had anything of the sort before,\u201d Allan said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter talking with Principal Worthy, we have already started planning an SJSU Campus Tour for her eighth graders in Spring 2026!\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Dana Poon Inside a 5th-grade classroom, chatter began to decrease as the teacher introduced a student from San Jos\u00e9 State University. Elementary schoolers leaned forward in their seats as 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