By Cassidy Grom | Echo
This week approximately 1,100 pairs of little feet romped around Taylor campus.
Taylor was chosen to host a "Walk Into My Future"event. The event was part of a larger initiative to expose young students to college and create an expectation of attending a higher education institution in the future.
Last month, the children worked through curriculum that exposed them to higher education.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, groups of Kindergarten through third graders from Jay County, Indiana came to campus. They learned Zumba from Trojan athletes, took a tour of campus, and participated in activities with elementary education majors.They received piggy banks to entice them to start saving money for college.
Taylor was chosen because of its close proximity to Jay County and its safe environment. "(The Jay County organizers) didn't want to take their kids to huge Ball State (campus)," said Education Department Chair Cynthia Tyner.
According to Collegechoice 529 and the Lumina Foundation, only 6 percent of youth in Jay County are saving for post-secondary education, but 60 percent of jobs will require higher education by 2020.
The field trip was just one part of the Jay County Promise, a program founded on the premise that students who have a post-secondary savings account are more likely to go on to attend college.
Last month, parents of these students were asked to invest $25 into a college savings account for their child. The students were then expected to raise an additional $25 by asking neighbors and friends. That initial $50 is matched by corporate and government-based donors, giving the children a total of $100 toward their future education.
Tuesday, a group of children mimicked Taylor students as they danced to a parody of "Shut up and Dance with Me." The catchy Zumba song mentioned Taylor had "endless chocolate milk" but Tyner said the purpose of the event was to advocate for higher education as a whole, not Taylor University in particular.
