♪♪♪

( kids getting dorm tour)

Guide: Once you guys finish
elementary,

then you'll go to high school
then to college.

Daniel: The fun thing about
the dorms, guys,

is that every student
can pick and chose

how you want
to set up your room.

So if you want
set up a bunk bed

you can do that, sweet.

If you want to put
a couch in the room,

that's awesome,
you can do that too.

Rob: This college
dorm room may be small,

but it made a BIG
impression on this group

of fourth graders.

Noah: What was good
about the dorms was...

being able to do
things yourself and,

like, put things up and, you
get to design how your dorm,

whatever you want
your dorm to be.

Rob: As these kids take
a tour of Azusa Pacific

University, they begin to
see possibilities....

of living independently...
of socializing...

of being in college.

And that's
precisely the point.

Laura: College is very
abstract for a lot of my

students, most would be the
first to attend college in

their family.

So this brings it into the
concrete world for them,

as opposed to
think abstract world.

Otherwise, it really
seems like a dream,

something they see in a
movie or something they see

in a TV show.

It's not
reality, it's fantasy.

But it takes that fantasy
and makes it a reality

for them.

Rob: Azusa Pacific
University is a private

college in the
San Gabriel Valley.

They've partnered with
the Azusa Unified School

District on a 9-week
program called CHAMP.

Arturo: The CHAMP program,
which stands for college

headed and mighty proud, uh,
began with an idea that if

we expose students at a very
young age to a college-going

culture, uh, that we could
have an impact on their

future lives.

Michelle: The program
started 28 years ago and

over 13 thousand um local
elementary students have

gone through the CHAMP
program where they're

learning about
college readiness,

goal setting and really
instilling a future and a

hope for university.

Rob: The CHAMP program
begins in the classroom for

all 400 of the
district's fourth graders.

They meet weekly with
college students from Azusa

Pacific University who are
enrolled in a course called

Diversity in the Classroom.

Jada: Last week we talked
about college activities and

what living on
campus is like.

Next week I think we'll
be talking about

college applications.

Rob: Jada Javier is a college
mentor with the program.

She says the message really
comes to life on the week

that the kids get to see the
college campus with their

very own eyes.

Jada: Did you guys
see the dorms over there?

Students: Yeah!

That's where I live.

Yeah, that's where I live.

Student: The skeleton?

Jada: No, not the skeleton
but I know which one you're

talking about.

Jada: The CHAMP
Program really gives you

such a great opportunity
to practice how to be

inclusive, how to get to
know your students in a

personal way, and just how
to cater to people

who are different.

Arturo: What really makes
this program stand out is

that fact that it's college
students who are making

connections
with our students.

Because without that, I
think it would be just

another curriculum,
uh, just another tour,

but having that special
person come to see you every

week for nine weeks is what
I think really makes this

stand out.

Rob: At the end
of the program,

the school district and
college hold a graduation

ceremony with all the pomp
and circumstance of a real

college graduation.

Michelle: We invite the, the
parents and the community

to, to rally around these
kids who walk across the

stage and hear
their name called out,

'future teacher majoring in
liberal studies.' And they

get to see this vision and
hope for the future um that,

that maybe their, that other
in their family haven't

gotten to experience.

Rob: Azusa Pacific
University guarantees

admission to any student in
the district who meets the

minimum requirements.

The college also sets aside
scholarships just for

local residents.

But the bigger goal is to
set kids on any college

path, whether at a two-year
or four-year university.

And organizers say fourth
grade is an ideal time to

plant the idea.

Laura: Once they
hit fourth grade,

they are more
independent, they're,

they're thinking
for themselves more,

they're taking
charge of their learning.

And it's just the perfect
time for them to consider

these things.

Cole: I've been starting
to think about college,

and my thoughts were that
I kind of want to go now.

Thomas: I think our
tour today was great,

because we like, learned new
stuff and we saw these

new things.

My favorite part was
uh, the turtle exhibit.

Rob: The fourth graders,
college students and

organizers all
agree....today's college

visit day was a success -
bringing to life a whole new

world of opportunities.

Jada: They were saying after
today they are so excited to

apply for college and are
so excited for what that's

going to be like.

And to me, you know, like
that's the whole goal of

this program, is to inspire
kids to want to go to

college and to
want to pursue it,

and so the fact that
APU visit day has kind of

brought that desire in them
makes me really happy and

it's really heartwarming.

Students: College headed
and mighty proud!

Guide: Everyone say cheese!

Students: Cheese!