On Wednesday, October 18, members of the University of Arizona staff came to Sahuaro High School’s little theater to talk about students’ achievements in making it into the college. U of A office of admissions came to commemorate admitted seniors, help them understand how to sign up for orientation, and even assist them in picking their dorms.

Encouraging students to apply to college sooner was a huge thing too because it will be easier in the long run. They came to support upcoming students if they had questions about financial aid and paying for college.

Associate Director of the University of Arizona recruitment, Dan Kellish, spoke to the students who were accepted and said a few words of encouragement and information about what they would all need. Michelle Calderon is an upcoming freshman and she said, “The college fair was really cool; the whole recognition ceremony was nice, so I honestly really appreciate the U of A for coming.” He then called all the upcoming students of the U of A to accept a gift for all their hard work. Then, to get even more information about the U of A, they all went into the library to hear from the office of undergraduate admissions, the academic support center, the new start summer program, and the office of scholarships. These programs were there to help students along their college journey and take some stress off their backs.

Angelica Gutierrez is an upcoming freshman at the U of A and she said, “I thought everything was pretty cool and I liked how they acknowledged everyone’s achievement and how they explained everything that we will need as freshmen.”

The academic support center on campus guides all students in picking their minors and majors. They also offer academic skill workshops, online and offline tutoring sessions, and many other support groups. The best part of this program is that 90% of their services are completely free – even the exam prep groups. Starting college can be very stressful in college, so these types of programs are here to get some of the stress off their back. The new start summer program is six weeks in the months of June and July for students who are coming into college looking for a smooth start. Finally, the office of scholarships at the U of A is there to help students navigate the financial aid process. For all of the upcoming students, they will have a lot of aid from all of these programs that came to help.