Making the transition to high school is no easy task, fortunately for Utah students, the University of Utah has a program that is designed to help lower income kids from disadvantaged communities entering high school.
PATHS (Promoting Access to High Schoolers)
The University of Utah program supports Utah students from their first day of 9th grade to their first day of college.
This remarkable program aims to help kids with more than just school work.
From the university webpage: “success means being prepared both academically and socially, developing a cultural identity, and cultivating a sense of belonging within the wider community.”
PATHS hosted a family night at Jordan Park on May 17.
The event gave parents, friends, and students the opportunity to meet one another, communicate with faculty, and just have a good time.
Keeping in line with the program goals, this is one way they help establish a sense of community with students and family.
I had the opportunity to photograph and interact with the students myself. I was surprised at the confidence level of the kids and their families. It appeared that no one, even new comers, were strangers.
Hailey Leek, a PATHS advisor says, “The best thing about the program is it brings kids from all over Utah together.”
For more information about PATHS please visit https://continue.utah.edu/paths/about
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