Memphis area high school students will get a taste of college life this Monday at the "Tiger for a Day" event.
The program, sponsored by the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management, is designed to show the young people some of the possibilities that await them here at The University of Memphis.
"We want to give them an informal opportunity to familiarize themselves with the campus and specifically the school of hospitality," said Sharon Beasley, administrative secretary.
The students will watch presentations on the various educational opportunities available here at The University and will be given a tour of the campus.
This year will be a departure of sorts in that it will be less formal and structured than previous campus orientation programs.
"In the past we have brought in high school students to give them a little exposure to college life and all they really saw was a bunch of industry representatives in suits," said LaChelle Wilborn, assistant professor at the Kemmons Wilson School. "I think it was really going a little bit over their heads."
This program is designed to give the students a taste of what life as a student is really like, according to Wilborn.
"This time around our own students will be showing the new guys around," Wilborn said.
"There will be the usual folks from financial aid and admissions on hand, but we want to make this very informal and comfortable."
Students for all city and county schools, public and private, Tipton County schools and students from local community colleges have all been invited to the event.
"We want to show everyone the benefits of college like salary potential and improved overall quality of life," Wilborn said. "We also want to show students the benefits of enrolling in the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management."
These specific benefits include available scholarships, job opportunities and small class sizes, Wilborn said.
"We want to show students how to get involved within the community and help introduce this program to them so they can think about if it would be something that interests them," he said. "The biggest thing is to get them in the door and get them to start thinking about college."
