Opportunity is a M.U.S.T.

As we welcome Men’s Health Month and the end of the school year, students finishing up their sophomore and especially junior years of high school start thinking about what’s next for them when they graduate in the coming years. Overall health incorporates the physical as much as setting goals for the future.

Hearing about the plans their senior-year peers have made and watching them move on to life after high school can be both inspiring and intimidating. How do you decide if you want to go to college? How do you choose which college you want to go to? What will college life in a new city be like?

M.U.S.T. knows how daunting – and exciting questions like this can be for its Mentees and strives to help guide them as they each figure out their unique answers. So, in April, M.U.S.T. staff, Mentors, and Mentees loaded onto a bus and set off to explore some college opportunities in Portland.

Plans for the group’s first day included a visit to Portland State University that began with an informative session covering admissions requirements, GPA expectations, and academic programs offered.  A guided tour of the downtown campus followed, including visits to athletic facilities and classrooms offering students a firsthand perspective of campus life. The day concluded with a discussion led by current PSU football players, who shared insights into the realities of being a student-athlete and the level of dedication required to succeed both academically and athletically.

The next stop on the itinerary was George Fox University (GFU), a private institution located approximately an hour south of Portland. GFU emerged as a favorite among many of the students. Several participants expressed a preference for the more intimate learning environment that the smaller campus provides, noting its potential for stronger academic support. Although GFU maintains a more selective admissions process, many of the mentees expressed enthusiasm about rising to that challenge.

Spending the days of the trip collecting information, critically thinking about their futures, and touring campuses, it was important to spend some time decompressing in the evening and experiencing Portland beyond college walls. Hence, the group headed out to see the Lakers vs. Trail Blazers basketball game where they could let loose and have some fun.

It was two days jam-packed with activities, information, and adventure, but perhaps the most impactful aspect of the trip was the meaningful conversations and connections that developed among the mentees, who came from three different high schools. They discussed shared experiences as well as their observations on the cultural and social differences between Portland and Seattle. It was a significant and eye-opening opportunity for M.U.S.T. Mentees to see and experience different college campuses, explore a new city, and broaden their perspectives beyond their immediate surroundings as they consider their options for life after high school.