By Rene David Basulto - Monsignor Edward Pace HS
Posing at the University of South Florida: 21 students from Msgr. Edward Pace High School taking part in the second annual Pace College Campus Tour, Oct. 5 through 7.
MIAMI GARDENS | Road trip! That's what 21 juniors at Msgr. Edward Pace High School did at the beginning of October, as they visited six Florida universities to get a preview of their college options.
The Pace College Campus Tour, now in its second year, was organized by Lilian Dubon, Pace’s college advisor, who chaperoned the trip along with Melanie Otero, a Pace guidance counselor.
The trip is in keeping with Pace's mission as a college preparatory school, which seeks to ensure that its students have the right experience and academic acumen to continue their education beyond high school.
Hopping on a charter bus Oct. 5, the Pace group rode up to University of South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University on their first day, traveled to the University of Florida and Florida State University on their second day, and closed out their tour at University of North Florida and University of Central Florida.
Along their journey, they ran into recent Pace alumni who gave them honest advice, such as Andrew Oguga, class of 2014, at USF; Janelle Gonzalez, class of 2014, at UCF; and Christian Roig and Gabriel Sanchez, class of 2015, at UF.
The Pace High students pose for a photo inside the University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as part of their six-university trip through Florida.
“Many students had their hearts set on different schools before the tour,” said Otero. “But now they’re looking at things differently.”
“I wanted to see the options I had at the public universities in Florida,” said Matthew Sarria, a Pace junior.
Before the tour, his college of choice was the University of Miami, but he went on the tour on the recommendation of students who went last year. “They said that it was a good experience to see the college campuses, the students in the campus during school hours, and get a feel for the college.”
He wound up being impressed with the tight-knit student community at UF and called it his new top choice.
Pace looks forward to organizing their next college tour in fall 2016.
