KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Nearly 1,200 ninth grade students from Kalamazoo Public Schools will get a chance to experience a day in the life of a Western Michigan University student by participating in the college’s Bronco Buds program tomorrow and next Thursday.
WMU officials say the long-standing collaboration with is designed to give students an immersive college experience while also “opening their eyes” to the opportunities available at Western and the steps they need to take during high school to prepare for college.
Each daylong program will begin at Read Fieldhouse with a pep rally of sorts, with performances by the WMU pep band and cheer squad. Students will also hear KPS and WMU officials, as well as leaders of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholars registered student organization, sororities and fraternities, and WMU student-athletes.
After the pep rally, students will have lunch at Valley Dining Center before departing for tours of various academic colleges based on the students’ interests. Students curious about nursing careers will get to see the College of Health and Human Services and interact with faculty there, for example, while aspiring entrepreneurs can check out Schneider Hall, home to the Haworth College of Business.
Western also received a $13.7 million federal grant to expand college readiness efforts to middle school students across five school districts in southwest Michigan. The grant, which began this fall, provides access to additional academic support, summer camps, tutoring and financial literacy education as well as exposure to postsecondary pathways.
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