On the horizon

LAKE COUNTY — Getting into college can be a stressful, nerve-wracking time for all high school students, not just seniors. By maintaining stellar grades, participating in extra-curricular activities and writing essays, many students try to do everything imaginable to get into their dream school.

This year, five Lake County students will have another very important weapon in their arsenal when they travel east to participate in College Horizons.

St. Ignatius junior twins Nikko and Paden Alexander and Ronan sophomore Samuel Bixby will travel to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio from June 10-15 while Ronan sophomore Angela North Piegan and Arlee junior Mahalia Hendren will venture to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia June 24-29 for six days of college preparation.

The College Horizons program provides American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian sophomores and juniors nationwide with workshops where they can make connections and learn what it takes to succeed in getting to college. The trip will allow students the chance to learn about the application and admission processes and compile a list of potential college destinations that they might be interested in, based on factors important to them.

Between 40-50 schools will congregate to each site, including some of the top institutions in the nation, such as Cornell, Stanford, Harvard and Johns Hopkins.

The students are five of 200 throughout the country who qualified for College Horizons, based on essays and academic requirements, among several other eligibility necessities. The five are also among about 80 SKC Upward Bound students on the Flathead Reservation. The Upward Bound program provides select students with tutoring and the chance to visit college campuses, as well as leadership skill development, career exploration opportunities and many other benefits.

The students became aware of College Horizons through Upward Bound and are excited about what the trip presents.

“I’m excited to get ready for college and get a chance to go to a good college,” Bixby said.

“I wanted to do College Horizons because I was told it would help me a lot in the future,” North Piegan said. “I have always thought about college, and I don’t really know what to expect, so I’m hoping this program will give me all the tools to be prepared.”

Preparation is a big key for students, who need to take tests, fill out forms and meet requirements of schools simply to be eligible to continue their education. Figuring out more about what is expected of them gives these young adults an advantage going forward.

“There are more opportunities to learn about college (at College Horizons),” Paden Alexander said. “The more help we get, the better the chances are of getting into a better college.”

Since three Lake County students took part in College Horizons in 2007, three more have been sent, including Polson junior Dan LaFranier, who visited Colorado State University last year. LaFranier has had his eye on attending Dartmouth or Stanford and felt like participating in College Horizons could help him do that.

“I saw all the colleges that were going to be there and their caliber and thought ‘I want to go to one of those,’” LaFranier said.

In his time down there, LaFranier’s list of schools expanded wildly, to the point he had a list about 30 that fit him well and admitted that the aforementioned pair of schools have been joined by Carroll College and Montana State as schools he’s keeping an eye on.

That could be the same case for most of the group heading down now. Hendren and Nikko Alexander have their sights set on Gonzaga and Stanford, among other schools, Paden Alexander is learning toward the University of Montana and North Piegan is looking Pac-12, with Washington, Oregon and Colorado on her early list. Bixby doesn’t have a particular school in mind, but is ready to get a list together. All of the students have at least a rough idea of what they want in a school.

“I like a challenge,” Hendren said. “I look at where it’s at, not too close to home, but not too far away.”

“I’d rather be at a school with a lot of people where I can make a lot of new friends,” Nikko Alexander said.

When more options and a better understanding of what exactly they’re looking for are presented, it wouldn’t be surprising if their preliminary list could be altered, like it was for LaFranier.

LaFranier gained more direction during his trip and admitted that while there was a lot of work to be done, it helped him feel more comfortable about the process he’ll be a part of between now and when he’s accepted to his post-secondary school.

“They really help you with your essays,” LaFranier said. “I also feel more confident after having gone. When you’re there, you pick out a list of colleges that fit you and that was nice.”

The students heading down in June have slightly different expectations of what they might take away from their time at the respective schools, but all expect the six days to be worthwhile.

“I expect to get a lot of info on college, financial aid, the dorms and the experience of college,” Nikko Alexander said.

“All I expect is to learn something about college that I didn’t already know,” Hendren said.

While the students have been accepted into the program, their work between now and June is hardly complete. Over the next couple of months, the five will complete a self-assessment, a survey, complete multiple practice tests and fill out several forms. They’ll also attempt to raise the money to take the trip. While Upward Bound is a federally-funded program and helps with many of the costs associated with College Horizons, students are required to find funding for some of the transportation costs.

North Piegan and Bixby are working on bake sales, while the Alexanders approached the Indian Ed Committee, who generously donated $200 to each of them for their excursion.

“We’re really happy they did that for us,” Nikko Alexander said.

Two months and a bit of work away from their voyage, the students are chomping at the bit to take advantage of such a beneficial program.

“I am extremely excited for this trip,” North Piegan said. “I have been for months. I can’t wait to go see the East Coast and I can’t wait to meet new people from different places.”

In Ohio and Pennsylvania, the five will enjoy new experiences and meet new friends, but also gain a wealth of knowledge that should help them reach their vast potential in the years to come.

For them, great things are definitely on the horizon.