The Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement and the PEOPLE (Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity for Learning Excellence) program is welcoming the largest group to date of incoming freshmen PEOPLE College Scholars — the 92-member Class of 2016.
They are a part of the record-breaking 104 PEOPLE students who were accepted to UW-Madison this year. Completion of the highly competitive pre-college segment of the program qualifies these students for a tuition scholarship to attend, but does not guarantee admission into UW-Madison.
This past summer, campus and community partners, families and friends celebrated another 153 PEOPLE rising high school seniors from across the state who completed the precollege development program and are now in the process of applying for admission to UW-Madison.
The program showcased the talents, accomplishments and educational dreams of rising high school seniors, who have just completed their final summer of year-round training for college – including ACT testing and participating in internships with departments across the UW-Madison campus and throughout the community along with five weeks living in University Housing.
For some PEOPLE scholars, the senior high school year ahead is the culmination of up to seven years – and a few cases as many as 10 years — of family planning, sacrificed summers and testing, tutoring, contemplation and acceptance that this is what it takes to not only get into college, but earn a scholarship to attend one of the top institutions in the nation. The program provides essential preparation and process exposure to first-generation college students, including summer academic enhancement, year-around tutoring, ACT preparation and testing, and participating in internships with departments across the UW-Madison campus and throughout the community along with experience living in University Housing.
“PEOPLE is one of our high profile programs,” said Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Patrick J. Sims, who heads the division housing the PEOPLE program. “UW Madison commissioned an outside evaluation of the PEOPLE programs as part of our ongoing commitment to serve a diverse student population. By connecting elementary, middle and high school students with the university. PEOPLE creates long-lasting relationships that are life-changing for many participants.”
One of the major philosophies of PEOPLE and all of the diversity division’s scholarship programs is ‘lifting as we climb,’ Sims said.
“We’re proud of the accomplishments our PEOPLE scholars attain as a result of being supported and developed,” Sims said. “From law degrees to interning at NASA and mentoring those who follow and working in their communities, our world and global economy is better because of what they take away from the experience. We remain committed to continuing the enrichment support services with our PEOPLE community partners.”
Ranked as good, or better, than other precollege partners by campus and K-12 partners, the PEOPLE program has consistently accomplished its initial charge each year: Increasing the number of Wisconsin minority high school students who enroll at UW System schools.
In all, more than 1,500 underserved, low-income and first-generation Wisconsin students have entered higher education through PEOPLE.
Campus partners agree that PEOPLE helps to create a more diverse student body at UW-Madison. This is especially true relative to the presence of low-income, first-generation, students of color specifically from historically underserved communities throughout the state of Wisconsin.