Members of WVU Academic STARS
The West Virginia University Center for Black Culture and Research will host its 10th cohort of Academic Students Achieving and Reaching Success this summer, as it welcomes 14 students who will be freshmen at West Virginia University this fall.
The five-week program begins today (June 25) with an opening ceremony celebrating Academic STARS’ decade of success.
Designed to help African-American students build a solid academic foundation and develop leadership qualities, the program has promoted retention and persistence for nearly 200 students over the past 10 years.
“Ten years is a milestone and we are proud of all the students that we have mentored during that time,” said Marjorie Fuller, director of WVU Center for Black Culture and Research. “Amazingly, the excitement of welcoming each new class never goes away, and I am always personally very impressed with their willingness to give up their summer to prepare themselves for the rigors of an institution like West Virginia University.”
The students attend a unity circle exercise each day at 7 a.m., followed by a credit-bearing course, a one-hour workshop, and study tables. In the evening, students participate in activities designed by mentors.
The group will travel to Blackwater Falls, Spruce Knob and Seneca Rocks, followed the next day by a high ropes course experience facilitated by Adventure WV. The students will also travel to Washington, D.C. to visit the National African American Museum of History and Culture and Six Flags America theme park.
During the last week of the program, students are required to participate in a “Rites of Passage,” a total cultural immersion that enhances self-awareness and builds on the knowledge that students obtain during required classes.
The program is fully funded through WVU’s Center for Black Culture and Research in the Division of Student Life. Interested students must take part in a phone interview and possess a GPA of 2.75 in high school.
For more information and to apply for the program, visit the STARS website.
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ta/6/25/18
CONTACT: Marjorie Fuller, Center for Black Culture &
Research
marjorie.fuller@mail.wvu.edu,304.293.7029