On Tuesday April 13, two University of Alberta Senators, Dave Rumbold and Marla Palakkamanil, and Michaela Mann, U School Program Lead, came to speak to our club about U School. U School is a program run by the University of Alberta Senate that aims to introduce and connect students in grades 4 through 9 from socially vulnerable, Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) and rural communities to the University of Alberta. Classes, with their classroom teachers, attend a week-long immersion experience on campus led by U School staff. Our guest speakers shared how the sessions at U School are designed to build excitement while meeting the objectives of the curriculum. The program also strives to create a sense of belonging for marginalized students who have significant barriers to overcome - and it is clearly working since hundreds of U School alumni now attend the University of Alberta. The quotation that our guest speakers shared with us sums up the impact of U School,
"Some children are lucky to grow up in families and communities where the life-changing power of post-secondary education is well understood. U School is for everyone else."
U School sounds amazing and we were so happy to learn about this program and the role of a University of Alberta Senator.