This spring, Generation Next students from Pocono Mountain West High School embarked on two trips to tour universities in Philadelphia and schools in the tristate and New England areas.  

Generation Next is a college preparation program that guides students, who have been historically impacted by disparities in education, to build a successful path to college. The program, which began in September 2022, is preparing first-generation college students for life after high school, not just academically and financially, but also emotionally and socially. 20 juniors and 8 freshmen participated in the 2022/2023 session. 

During the first trip in March, students had the chance to participate in a day trip to the University of Pennsylvania and Cheyney University in Philadelphia. In April, students went on an overnight trip to explore Centenary University (NJ), Drew University (NJ), Yale University (CT), University of Connecticut (UConn; CT), and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; MA). 

The purpose of these trips was to give students the opportunity to explore their academic interests, learn more about Ivy League schools, technology/science-based institutes, explore Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and to see the differences between attending a school in a rural area vs. a city environment. This was the first chance that many of the students had ever had to go on a college tour.  

Students had a chance to provide feedback regarding their experiences and one student said, “[I] Really loved the trip and experience, it felt like a wakeup call to start taking the next stage of my life seriously…The trip was an eye opener and I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to take part in it before my senior year.”  

The program will be back for another school year in the fall. For more information on Generation Next, email Timera Toppin at Timera@PoconoUnitedWay.org