On Friday, October 19, 2018, twelve high school students and their chaperones from the Boys and Girls Club of the Bellport Area came to campus to learn about Stony Brook and experience college life. The students are sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Bellport High School.
For the first portion of the program, students were welcomed by the Admissions Office where Lyle Wind, Assistant Director of Admissions/Coordinator of Campus Tours, held a college introduction session. Topics discussed included information on researching colleges, various college majors and clubs, and the admissions process.
Led by SBU student tour guides from the Admissions Office, the group visited various areas of the campus including the Irving College residence hall, The Walter J. Hawrys Campus Recreation Center, Student Activities Center, and Frank Melville Jr. Library. In addition, the students caught rehearsals for the Seawolves Showcase for Homecoming while enjoying the SBU atmosphere on the Staller Steps.
“My favorite part was seeing all the different clubs that were available to the students. We got to go to Stony Brook on Homecoming weekend and there was so much going on. I loved seeing all the possibilities available to me,” said Jasmine Lagala, senior at Bellport High School.
The next portion of the program had the students engaging with innovative and creative technology in the iCREATE Lab. Led by Mzia Tabukashvili, a graduate manager at iCREATE, they learned about new technology such as the 3D printer and laser engraver. They made photo frames with craft sticks and glue, as well as custom buttons as mementos.
“I believe it’s important for high school students to be exposed to different colleges and universities, many students don’t ever get a chance to go on an actual college visit. It exposes them to the realities of college life. That way once they are there they aren’t caught off guard,” said Ana Arias, Director of Teen Services & Youth Development at the Boys and Girls Club.
The visit was coordinated by the Government and Community Relations Office, Admissions Office, and the Boys and Girls Club of the Bellport Area.
— Cohen Miles-Rath, Community Relations
It was our pleasure to host high school students from Boys and Girls club of the Bellport Area at the Innovation lab and show them how to get more out of now with the new technology that we offer. I want to mention my colleges, Alan Kao, Marcellus Windley, Mery Ibrahim, Vicky Qu, who did a great job for this event!