February 2019
Dear Friend,
“It’s like Schrodinger’s cat.”
I’m quite certain that’s the first time I’ve sent you (or anybody!) a letter with that introduction. When that was Brian’s answer about his experience last year on UrbanPromise’s College Vision Trip I felt pretty good that the trip was a success!
In a few weeks, 10 more high school students, mostly sophomores, will follow Brian’s steps traveling 2,000 miles in the South over 10 days on our annual College Vision Trip. They’ll gain insight about college choices, college life, and take their new vision and relate it to their actions when they get back home. They’ll also visit many impactful Civil Rights sites.
Schrodinger’s cat is a famous thought experiment related to quantum physics. The punch line, according to the metaphor, is you don’t know if the cat in the box is dead or alive unless you observe it.
“College is like the cat,” Brian expounded, “Until you observe it you don’t know if it’s dead or alive. Traveling is like that. Things like dreams and possibilities are in that box but we haven’t seen them. Until we see them it’s not real. Seeing college makes it more real. Until then it’s a dead dream. The College Vision Trip helps kids take things out of their box.”
Nalijah, now a senior, also took the trip last year and offered a practical example. “I knew I wanted to go to college but to experience different levels including the distance and the size of schools helped make it clear. I saw some of the big schools, state schools, and I’m like ‘No way’. I can not do the big campuses. I like medium. I also learned about the prices of schools.”
“The trip made college a tangible goal. If you don’t see it it’s a far-fetched dream. I could see myself walking around campus like the students I saw.”
Brian interjected, “It’s like a bite of reality.”
“The girl at Tuskegee motivated me,” added Alana, another participant, “I want to be a nurse and the guide pushed how hard nursing is. It made me understand that I would have to be prepared.”
Last year’s team had an unusual experience. They were in Memphis on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination.
“Being at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was assassinated, in the middle of all those people as they rang the bells at 6:01pm, exactly the time he was shot, was moving, it seemed so real.”
“It’s good for us to have those experiences, to stretch limits. I told my Mom in detail what I saw and experienced. When you stretch your brain you can take other people with you,” Nalijah added.
“The fellowship on the trip is cool,” said Alana. “It brings us all together. You all at UrbanPromise have our backs, you are there for us, this makes it easier to open up and that’s a good part of the trip, like a family.”
The College Vision Trip is accomplishing many important things at once. It’s a powerful way to invest in young people’s future. Alana offered this summary.
“I had just accepted that I have to go to college but being there I thought, ‘You know, actually this is my choice to go to college.’ I realized I have to commit to it. I understood I have to do well where I’m at now taking it to another level. The trip made me excited to learn and feeling like I was in God’s will.”
I’m thankful for how the College Vision Trip plays such an effective role in developing personal vision to impact current choices. I’m asking your financial support to start a new crew of youth on this College journey to vision, personal responsibility, and a better shot at full life.
Open the Box!
– $250 will sponsor one of the StreetLeaders on the trip
– $60 will fill our gas tanks as we travel 2,000 miles
– Pay admission to the National Civil Rights Museum for $135
– Feed the crew McBreakfast for $35
– Sponsor four StreetLeaders by giving $1,000
– $2,500 to pay for all of our logistics (rentals, lodging, food, etc.)
Thank you!
Rob Prestowitz
Executive Director