Autumn 2009: Of Note

These three young women from different states were inspired by the new Pre-College Program.

Kay Hinton

College Bound

Giving students a glimpse of college life

By Paige P. Parvin 96G

Three young women—Aviana Polsky of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Ivonne Nolasco of Monterey, California; and Erin McGaha of Gurnee, Illinois—lounge in the Dobbs University Center commons, swapping stories about classes and professors. A neuroscience course taught by senior lecturer Lori Marino has them buzzing about the complexities of animal-use ethics and their final paper topics.

“The classes have given me a lot to consider,” Polsky says. “I’m definitely interested in some sort of career in science.”

They seem like any Emory students—except that they’re not Emory students. These are three of the eighty-six high school students from twenty-seven states who attended the first Emory Pre-College Program, a summer offering designed to provide a sneak peek at college life. Some attended with support from foundations like QuestBridge.

”It’s a way to learn about academic life, to locate areas of interest, to meet peers,”says Philip Wainwright, Pre-College director and associate dean for international and summer programs. Students can also earn academic course credit.

“The program has made me want to work more diligently when I get home,” McGaha says, “because I could have an opportunity to go to a school like this.”