Josh Cassaro & David McCormack
To improve knowledge of access to higher education, specifically UIUC, to local schools in the Champaign-Urbana area. Bring awareness to the students about college that isn't available to them already. Only 4% of students here are from Champaign county. Compared to 14% and 19% of in-county enrollment from local big ten schools Iowa and Ohio State. Increasing the involvement of the local community can promote school pride and prevail to more positive outcomes for the university.
Myth
One myth is that the University of Illinois is only meant for wealthy kids from the Chicago suburbs who are smart and have good grades. There is a stereotype of who this University is for and who it serves. Diversity is a large part of the UIUC demographic. It is a well known international university.
Things to Know
There are things that challenge the dominant narrative and disprove some myths about this topic. The first being that including international students, the University is mainly attended by students from the Chicago suburbs. While there may be many, there are still a lot of students from different areas in Illinois, the United States, and the world. Second, is that their is only one path to the University of Illinois. Students can go to community college for two years and cut down on costs that way. Students can also commute from home (assuming they live within driving distance) so they do not have to live in dorms. There are many different ways that students can attend the University of Illinois and it is not a one size fits all approach. The third challenge to dominant narratives is that students do not only have to major in either Business or Engineering. The University has many highly ranked programs and is a very strong school for all majors. For example, the Special Education program is ranked number ten in the nation. There are many worthwhile degrees at the University that are competitive and have good job placement. Potential students should not be driven away if they do not want to do business or engineering.