WOODLAND HILLS : Tour Provides Taste of College Life

Teen-agers from five San Fernando Valley high schools sampled college life for one morning as Pierce College officials sought to teach them the how-tos of continuing their education.

The visit was arranged by the nonprofit softball group Keep Youth Doing Something, or KYDS, which started as a youth league aimed at keeping crime out of local parks but now offers a range of athletic and guidance activities for at-risk teen-agers.

One student, Jermaine Hall, 18, of Cleveland High School, said visiting a college campus can be daunting for a student who has had no preparation.

“It just all hits you, all this stuff,” he said.

Sandy Kievman, KYDS director, said that just graduating from high school is a challenge for many of the young people in the program. Many are not prepared to even think about college until it’s too late, she said.

Kievman said she planned the trip after a high-school graduate failed to register for Pierce College due to confusion. The would-be student made it all the way to the campus, then gave up, bewildered by the size of the school and the complexity of registration.

Thursday’s visitors, chosen by their schools, represent students who “seem to fall through the cracks”--those who make it to graduation but might not consider college a natural next step, Kievman said.

The students were attentive as Pierce teachers and counselors walked them through the registration process and showed them around campus. They examined the library and bookstore.

Several said they were most impressed by the agriculture department, where they were introduced to the college’s training program for veterinary technicians as well as Pomeranians, llamas and cockatoos.