In early December of 2022, 12 Long Beach, CA students hopped on a plane and left their coastal California city for a short excursion to the nation's capital. The trip, hosted by National College Attainment Network (NCAN) member Operation Jump Start (OJS), facilitated many “firsts” for the students.
OJS is a non-profit organization in Long Beach, CA that supports low-income, first-generation students with achieving their college goals. OJS does this by providing individualized academic support, one-on-one mentoring, and exposure to a broader world.
“We realize that not only do we want to equip students academically, but also, socially and environmentally,” said OJS Program Director Maria Alvarez. “We want to make sure that students feel ready to take on the rigors of the college journey and college
life, and most importantly, show our students that there’s more than just their city.”
OJS has previously partnered with organizations that gave their students the opportunity to explore outside of their familiar environment. These partnerships were with Getaway Growth, which sponsors
trips to Africa for college students to explore and perform community service, and Community Action Team, which takes 11th and 12th graders on a week-long summer trip to various destinations,
like San Francisco, CA, Lake Arrowhead, CA, and more.
The most recent trip was their furthest OJS-led trip to date: a four-day exploration of Washington, DC. Twelve students were able to see historic landmarks, such as the White House and Library of Congress, and two local universities, Georgetown University
and Howard University.
This 2,300-mile trip was made possible by grants and private donations by folks who wholeheartedly support the exploration aspect of OJS’ mission. The donors were travelers themselves who expressed a desire to see more students experience life beyond
books and academics and to explore outside of their backyard. Through their generous support, the entire trip was free to the students.
Why DC?
Alvarez had only been to DC once before deciding that she wanted the OJS students to experience the city, too. That moment was in 2018 for NCAN’s Spring Advocacy Week. In between meetings with OJS’ college access and success partners and their Congressional
representatives, Alvarez explored the many sights DC has to offer.
“I remember telling [my colleague], ‘It would be so amazing for our students to come and see this because they’re learning about this as we speak,’” Alvarez recalled. “Because all of our students are first-generation and [from low-income backgrounds],
they more than likely won’t visit these areas.”
Not only did Alvarez want the students to see the historical landmarks they were reading about in their textbooks, but she also wanted them to visit the nearby colleges and envision themselves attending a school out of state. Most OJS graduates end up
staying in Southern California for college, but she wanted to expose students to more schools and give them the opportunity to expand their options.
Four years after Alvarez’s initial visit to DC, the trip was finally made possible for their students. With only 12 spots available, a meticulous application process was necessary to narrow down the 40 applicants who expressed interest in going on the
cross-country expedition. Although it was hard to turn away the students who couldn’t attend, Alvarez hopes that they will be able to double the number of students they can take in the future.
Above: OJS students at the Georgetown University bookstore.
New Perspectives
OJS’ four days in the nation's capital were jam-packed with activities and sightseeing. They toured universities, visited museums, and took endless pictures of the incredible sights the city has to offer. Despite the frigid weather, the students opted
to walk over taking a car so that they could see more landmarks on the way to their destinations.
“They just couldn't they couldn't believe they were there for the most part,” Alvarez said. For a handful of the students, this was their first time leaving California, being on a plane, and even sleeping outside of their home, so it’s understandable
that they wanted to soak in every moment of the experience.
On their last day, they all shared what experience they enjoyed the most. “A lot of students actually enjoyed Georgetown [University] out of all the museums and places that we toured,” Alvarez explained. “They gave such a great group information session.
The campus was great. It gave them a good environment to be in and I can see that they envisioned themselves [there].”
Research has shown that college tours promote students’ college knowledge
and self-efficacy to attend and succeed in college, and those findings were echoed in students’ post-trip reflections. A majority of the students expressed that they feel very confident in applying to schools out of state.
While this is OJS’ first trip to the east coast, Alvarez hopes that it is not their last. “I definitely think the east coast has a lot to offer for students,” Alvarez said. She hopes to take the OJS students to the Ivy League universities and other historical
landmarks in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, if funding permits.
The students who attended the DC trip are in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades, so they won’t be applying to college just yet, but the trip gave them a glimpse at attending college in a different city. Not only that, but the students were able to explore
beyond the familiar views of their Long Beach home. Such an experience is critical for expanding the scope of what’s possible in life from the perspective of first-generation and low-income youth.
Email to a Friend
