Andy Cripe/Gazette-Times Christina Montes, 17, second from left, listens to the Kaleidoscope keynote speaker Saturday morning. Montes is a senior at Irrigon High School and plans to attend Oregon State University next fall.

This weekend, high school senior Cristina Montes got an early taste of what her life could be like next year. She stayed in a dorm, went bowling in the Memorial Union, ate dining hall food, met faculty and learned about Oregon State University’s pre-med program.

Montes, who attends Irrigon High School in eastern Oregon, was one of about 240 prospective students who visited campus Saturday as part of OSU’s Kaleidoscope program.

“It was nice. I liked it. I’m interested in OSU, so I thought I’d come see what campus is like,” said Montes, 17.

Kaleidoscope, which has been going on for about 10 years, reaches out to high school students of color and other groups under-represented among those attending college.

This year it coincided with Beaver Open House, which attracted about 1,200 prospective students and parents.

Kaleidoscope is about more than recruitment, according to Marcus Langford, orientation coordinator for OSU’s Student Orientation and Retention program.

“My purpose has been for this program to stress the importance of education beyond the high school level, and that this is a viable option for all students,” Langford said.

High schoolers came from throughout the state for the program, which is funded by Langford’s office. For those traveling more than a few hours, OSU provided a bus service. These students spent Friday night on campus.

In addition to ethnic minorities, other groups targeted by Kaleidoscope include first-generation and rurally-isolated students.

During an opening session, Isabel Sanchez, OSU alumna and Upward Bound coordinator at Chemeketa Community College, discussed the importance of higher education.

Sanchez earned her master’s degree from OSU in 2005. She still remembers being told by a counselor in high school that college wasn’t for “her people.”

“I could either go with what he thought of me, or I could take it as a personal challenge. The best revenge is to have a successful career,” she said.

Langford shared with the students his recipe for success: be prepared, plan and just do it.

Other OSU faculty and staff talked to the students about financial aid, admission requirements and transfer agreements between universities and community colleges.

The information wasn’t specific to OSU, and a college fair offered later in the day included universities and community colleges from throughout Oregon.

Anthony Torres, an English language learning teacher from South Medford High School, has participated in Kaleidoscope for nine years, as has Juliana Marez, a program coordinator at Roseburg High School.

Both said that between 40 and 50 percent of students they bring to Kaleidoscope attend a two- or four-year college after high school. One in 10 students attends OSU.

“All the universities have college fairs, but the powerful thing about this one is it’s culture-specific. They get to see successful people from their own ethnic background,” Marez said.

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