Celebrating 'College Friday,' 23 students from Denver and Aurora High schools visited CU-Boulder for a campus tour and to learn about leadership. The event, sponsored by the ,Ěýserved to expose youth interested in higher education toĚýł¦˛ąłľ±čłÜ˛őĚýopportunities.
The event was hosted by the and led by David Aragon, executive director of student success.
“Bringing students to campus and partnering with organizations like the Crowley Foundation makes a huge difference in helping our youth get a better idea what’s possible for themselves in the future,” Aragon said. “We’re excited to have them see campus, hear from students and meet professors.”
The Crowley Foundation was founded in 2009 by Kenneth D. Crowley Sr. and his wife Jean Crowley. Today was the second time the foundation has visited CU.
“We’re here to allow the students to see CU’s beautiful campus, since it’s College Friday,” said Jean Crowley. “Each year our organization offers free college preparatory programs which includes campus tours.”
The Crowley Foundation seeks to promote student success by instilling emotional, intellectual and social skills that support youth. The foundation also provides ACT and SAT prep to students.
“It’s exciting for me because they work in the Park Hill community in Denver; they reach an important population of students,” Aragon said. “CU-Boulder needs to be working and partnering with organizations like the Crowleys.”
For George Washington High School freshman Savaun Cheeks, the program has encouraged him to explore the possibilities.
“We have this program that teaches us about the college and different opportunities that CU has. I’m really interested in sports medicine,” Cheeks said. “I like to play football and basketball, and I want to play in college.”
Supporting students like Cheeks is exactly what the Crowley Foundation aims to do. For a foundation whose core values are family and leadership, influencing the lives of other people is most important.
“We maintain relationships with our recipients. We pass along our core values of family, leadership, integrity, authenticity and service,”Jean Crowley said. “We want to pay it forward and leave an impact to help students who want to go to college but don’t know the steps they need to take.”
College Friday is a program of , which was initiated by the Department of Higher Education (DHE) and is charged with helping all Coloradans explore career and education pathways. The College In Colorado team reaches out to students, parents, educators and workforce centers through ongoing events and training opportunities, as well as providing practical tools to assist Colorado students in furthering their education past high school.