Marist High School's Explore Program sponsored a college tour February 13 to 17 with 22 students (20 juniors and 2 sophomores) two teachers touring eight universities in five days. The group was joined by students and a staff member from Trinity High School in Chicago.
The first stop was Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., where the group attended an information session, toured the campus, and met the school mascot, Trip, an adorable bulldog. The students also saw Marist graduate Sheila O’Keefe ‘17 who now attends Butler and majors in speech pathology. Next up was Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Again, students attended a visitors' session and toured the campus. They met up with alums Sean Rein ‘19 and Jack Luzzo ‘19, who are both majoring in business.
Friday was spent in Nashville with a visit to Belmont University and a concert at the Grand Ole Opry. The next morning, students toured Vanderbilt University, visited Centennial Park, and enjoyed some barbecue. From there, they toured Fisk University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). They finished the evening learning how to line dance.
On Sunday, they traveled to the University of Kentucky where alumnae Hailey Gillespie ‘19, a pre-med major, and Nora Boland ‘19, a business major, offered a tour of the campus.
The last day of the trip brought students to Xavier University in Cincinatti, Ohio. After the info session and tour, students met up with Mike Coogan ‘17, who is majoring in business. Finally, students traveled to the University of Dayton and enjoyed an info session and tour before heading home to Chicago.
Over the course of the trip, students experienced schools of all sizes and types and got a glimpse into the qualities and characteristics they are seeking in their future school.
The Explore Program offers students opportunities to gain professional insight and experience through internships, professional events, job shadowing, and other efforts.