High School students immerse into university life with eye-opening experience at Fresno State

Ethan Ottaway, a high school sophomore from Woodlake, is one of 90 students selected from throughout California to participate in this year's two-week Summer Residential Program at Fresno State.

The experience immerses students into university life - from sleeping in dorms to attending lecture halls.

"We have some STEM classes where students learn not just hands-on projects, but they learn about careers related to those activities like drones and aviation, physics, and graphic design," California Teaching Fellows Foundation Program Manager Pedro Lopez said.

The California Teaching Fellows Foundation collaborated with Fresno State's College Assistance Migrant Program to find the right students, including those who have not been exposed to college.

Most students this summer are from rural communities in Northern California, but some are from Parlier and Woodlake.

Ottaway expected long lectures but says the classes and activities were eye-opening.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought, it was actually really fun," Ottaway said. "I took a cultural awareness class for guitar because I love music, it's my life, and we get to keep the guitar!"

He will also walk away with lifelong friendships and a wealth of knowledge about his future possibilities.

"Before I didn't know to apply now I do and what college life like because I had never heard about dorms," Ottaway says.

Pedro and Jacqueline Lopez with the California Teaching Fellows Foundation say it's rewarding to see the fulfilling impact of the program.

"So much can happen in two weeks and the bonds formed here are amazing," Jacqueline Lopez said. "We even have some students who cry because they won't see each other but they talk about next summer."

This group of students will also go on two follow-up field trips to different universities during the upcoming academic school year.

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