Indy Standard

Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) middle school students are engaging with college life early through the district’s College Campus Visits program. The initiative allows students to explore college campuses, talk to current students, and learn about various career paths and financial aspects of higher education.

Ayla Grieve from Broad Ripple Middle School shared her experience visiting Marian University: “The parts of the visit to Marian (University) that were the most helpful for me were getting the feel of how college buildings are, speaking to a student who is majoring in something that I am interested in, and being informed of the freedom of a college student.”

Ian Franco Arroliga Cerda from Northwest Middle School valued his visit to the Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center, stating he enjoyed “being in a room where they explained things about airplanes and how they were created.”

Jaydalise Blade from Longfellow Middle School appreciated learning about potential earnings linked to different colleges during her visit to the same campus.

Aaron Munson, director of middle school academies and pathways at IPS, commented on the program's purpose: “This initiative aims to inspire students to pursue higher education by cultivating a culture where college is seen not just as a possibility, but as a logical next step for every student.” He added, “We know that we can’t wait until high school to talk to our students about choices they may want to make for their futures.”

Munson emphasized the importance of changing IPS's perspective on college from an unattainable goal to an expected outcome. This requires collaboration with universities starting before high school.

The program partners with various Marion County institutions such as the University of Indianapolis, Butler University, Ivy Tech, Marian University, Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center, Martin University, and IU Indianapolis.