West Chicago Community High School AVID students took their first field trip of the year on Thursday, Sep 14 to visit North Central College.

AVID is a college and career readiness program. Seniors currently enrolled in the program are learning about colleges and trade schools, and what higher education might be right for them. AVID also ensures that students are taking the correct class for their major, and helps students work on essays and college applications. 

As part of the program, AVID seniors tour several universities in the greater Chicagoland area and beyond.

North Central College, the first stop on AVID’s list, is located at 30 N. Brainard St. in Naperville, IL. The average tuition for this relatively local university is around $42,206, and average class is around 25 students per class.

Students had the opportunity to meet with a professor to learn more about the school.

“It’s the attention that faculty and administration [give to] students here: I think it’s unmatched. If you come to North Central, you’re gonna get so much hands-on experience with engaging in research with faculty. Like just walk into my office now right and ask me a question. That’s what we’re here for. So, we’re here for the students. It really shows you get a lot of attention from the faculty, get small classes, [and] faculty know you by name. They’ll write you an email and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ from time to time. Everybody cares about the students who come here,” NCC Professor Leanna Blanchard said.

Gallery • 13 Photos

Photo by Chris Pena

Students check-in for their various tours. West Chicago Community High School's AVID seniors were just one of several groups visiting campus on Sept. 14.

While at North Central, a tour guide named Sydney gave AVID students a tour around the campus. She took the students to multiple dorms, parking garages, and the new 4-story garage that should be done by January. She also showed off the building for physics and trades.

“It was a pretty good experience. I’m looking into going into school eventually. But I think it was good overall,” senior Christopher Montoya said.

“I’m gonna have to agree with Chris. It was great overall, it was very nice learning about how the campus was and how they explained their academic goal. Options for college. There’s a lot of opportunities that can be taken in North Central” senior Jaime Cuautli said.

After the tour, all the students separated and went their own ways for 1.5 hours, allowing them a chance to explore the campus and the surrounding area. Many walked around to get drinks and food, but were told to meet back where they had all separated at 1:15 p.m.; however, due to two students’ tardy return, the buses were held back, and the field trip ran an extra 10 minutes, making students late to tenth period.

“The worst experience was when a few kids decided to not show up to the bus on time and then we were late for tenth period,” AVID teacher Michelle Walters said.

However, student tardiness did not ruin the overall experience.

“Getting to see the kids being excited about a college campus and getting to be on one potentially for the first time, and looking at the possibilities of what their future could potentially look like. That was exciting,” Walters said.