Higher Ed Utah

The Utah Scholars program is a way for college preparation to head into classrooms and get students ready for college and career. This outreach program, the Utah Scholars Initiative, inspires middle school students who desire a successful future by motivating them to complete a Core Course of Study in high school to prepare them for college and beyond. Utah Scholars is administered by the Utah System of Higher Education.

In 2011, approximately 200 Utah Scholars volunteers and community leaders from area businesses and higher education institutions spoke to over 20,500 eighth graders about their futures. In addition to visiting eighth grade classrooms, Utah Scholars representatives visit area high schools to target those students, talk to them one-on-one and make sure they are informed about taking classes to help them succeed, as well as potentially qualify for the Regents’ Scholarship.

Sitting through a lunch period, it’s enlightening to have a chance to meet college students who are interested in post-secondary education, who have already started on their path to life after high school graduation. In a one-on-one setting like this, reps can talk to students and confirm classes they’ve already taken, plus suggest classes like physics or college-level math they should take their senior year to be college ready. It’s also motivating to explain what it means to be a Utah Scholar and be able to earn a graduation medallion and certificate.

Here’s Utah Scholars in action at Cyprus High talking to students about what they need to do to be ready for higher education, scholarships and their bright futures.