Middle schoolers get glimpse of what’s possible in immersive college campus visits

This paid piece is sponsored by South Dakota State University.

The eighth grade student walked into Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium at South Dakota State University along with other members of the McGovern Middle School football team and asked one of the attendants if he could look through a game program.

As the Jackrabbits prepared to take on NDSU, the middle schooler paged through the section of the program listing the SDSU football players and then turned to the attendant.

“You’re going to see me in there someday,” he told her.

Every time director of admissions Shawn Helmbolt thinks of the story, “I get goosebumps,” he said.

“A story like that is just so fantastic. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

As the saying goes: “You cannot be what you cannot see.”

That’s the vision behind a program that’s connecting Sioux Falls eighth graders with visits on college campuses – with powerful effects.

Initiated and organized by the nonprofit Promising Futures Fund, the campus experiences began with one at SDSU in the fall of 2021 – the same visit that produced the memorable moment inside the stadium. Promising Futures now coordinates the eighth grade initiative with support from multiple college and universities, including Augustana University, Dakota State University, Southeast Technical College and the University of South Dakota.

“The vast majority of these kids have never set foot on a college campus, and plenty come from families that probably aren’t talking to them about their future beyond eighth grade,” said Steve Hildebrand, founder of the Promising Futures Fund.

“South Dakota State has done a phenomenal job understanding the students we serve. A lot of them come from homes with high rates of poverty, and they understand that what we’re trying to do for these kids is create an experience on a college campus and to find a way for them to see a variety of things on campus to open their eyes to their possibilities for the future.”

Students from Ben Reifel, George McGovern and Whittier middle schools have gone on the trips, which have included multiple academic and extracurricular experiences since the fall of 2021.

“SDSU goes above and beyond,” Hildebrand said. “When we do the academic trips, they bring 30 disciplines to an academic fair in a ballroom, and the kids go around and do hands-on experiences and see so many different paths to their future.”

For instance, students might learn about compounding prescription drugs using candies within the department of pharmacy, measure heart rates and suture wounds on simulation mannequins from the College of Nursing, discover 3D printing and take part in multiple science-related experiences using virtual reality.

“We see wide eyes a lot of times, but they dive right in,” Helmbolt said. “They can engage with our faculty and students in unique ways different from a typical college tour.”

Each visit also includes time with current SDSU students, including many who came from the students’ own middle school.

The extracurricular visits are especially immersive and memorable.

“They’ve had opportunities to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of our athletic facilities and see not only a football game but the biggest game of the season, so they really engage in everything that’s great about college rivalry,” Helmbolt said.

“This past fall, we also included about 100 students from Ben Reifel’s marching band. They spent the morning rehearsing with the Pride of the Dakotas and going through the pregame and then playing the national anthem on the field with the Pride of the Dakotas before the football game, with 19,300 people watching them, which was pretty amazing.”

From the top down, SDSU is committed to connecting with the students, Hildebrand said.

“President (Barry) Dunn has strongly supported this effort from the very beginning and understands this population because of his own upbringing. He’s pushed for the campus to strongly support these trips, and they’ve delivered,” Hildebrand said.

“And not only are they opening eyes to what the future could look like, but they’re giving these kids affirmation. We all want affirmation. And this is already an awkward age, but if you’re struggling with academics or poverty and the challenges of diversity, affirmation is even more important. So when you bring the marching band to practice and the Pride band members get wildly enthusiastic, that affirmation is incredible for those kids. When you’re at a football game and your middle school’s logo is on the Jumbotron and the announcer comes on to welcome you, that’s affirmation. It means the world to these kids, and SDSU is fantastic at it.”

The visits will continue into 2023, with experiences planned this winter around boys and girls basketball, plus another academic experience scheduled for April. Future plans include exposing students to choir, orchestra and debate extracurriculars.

At SDSU, “our hope is that we do five or six per academic year, while potentially expanding the program,” Helmbolt said. “Middle schoolers are at such an impressionable age. The chance to learn what opportunities are in front of them can really make a difference.”

While it’s too early to know if these eighth graders will become future Jackrabbits, “it’s not too early to know it pays off just by the reactions you see on the day they visit,” he added.

“We get great feedback from the students, teachers and chaperones, and hopefully we are igniting a spark that will lead students to continue to explore colleges and careers as they start high school, realizing that there are people and programs out there to support them along the way.”

And it doesn’t stop once the students are back in middle school.

“We stay in touch with the teachers and principals in these schools and are told the kids don’t stop talking about these visits,” Hildebrand said. “They’re very meaningful, the kids are inspired, and they’re asking questions about what kind of grades they need to go there, how they can afford to go there, and they specifically will say they can see themselves becoming a nurse or going to engineering school. Whatever the case is, they’re starting to dream about the future.”