Grown Up Lessons in Middle School

Twelve-year-olds don't care about college, nor should they have to.

This thought crossed my mind as I scanned a recent e-mail from Penn's Volunteers In Public Service mentoring program. The e-mail invited me to help seventh graders at Shaw Middle School "explore careers and gain exposure to a University setting."

I shook my head in disbelief. If someone approached my 12-year-old self with college advice I'd freak and make a run for it. The program sounded illogical.

Penn's VIPS mentor program guides 15 to 20 children annually. Participants are selected on the basis of their behavioral and academic performance at school. The students come to campus weekly to meet with Penn mentors and attend educational events to learn about what it's like to be in college and how they can get there.

This article can be found at The Daily Pennsylvanian online.