Young Achievers
College Tour
Each year the Young Achievers program leads a long-distance college tour during spring break to introduce scholars to education and career opportunities.
About The Tour
The College Tour is just one of many activities the Young Achievers program offers throughout the year to help teens explore college and career opportunities, develop leadership skills, build character, and learn from mentoring opportunities. Each spring, a group of Young Achievers participants embark on a multi-city bus tour, visiting universities, historic landmarks and organizations. Typically, Achievers submit college applications at each university and discuss scholarship and financial assistance opportunities.
Young Achievers participants must apply to participate in the College Tour. Requirements include an essay, teacher recommendation, official copies of high school transcript and ACT score and more.
A $75 non-refundable deposit is due at the time of registration. Financial assistance is available.
Sample College Tour Schedule
The destinations for each Young Achievers College Tour change each year. A typical tour includes 8-12 college campus visits, plus stops at historical landmarks and a corporate office. For example, the 2018 Young Achievers College Tour included the following destinations:
- Mohammed Ali Museum
- University of Kentucky
- North Carolina A&T
- Duke University
- Hampton University
- African American Museum
- Howard University
- Ohio State
- Proctor & Gamble Headquarters
- Xavier College (Ohio)
- Chicago Art Institute
- University of Chicago
- YMCA of the USA Headquarters (Chicago)
- Six Flags (St. Louis)
Amanda's
Story
As she stood in the bright lights and bustling crowds of New York City’s Times Square with her peers and leaders from the YMCA of Greater City’s Young Achievers program, Amanda Johnson’s life changed.
She was a high school sophomore on the Spring 2014 Young Achievers College Tour and 1,200 miles from home. In that moment, she realized something important that she will always carry with her.
“We have this potential that is so great but sometimes it just takes a push for us to see it,” she said. “I would have never dreamed of going to Times Square.” But thanks to the Young Achievers program, she had that opportunity. Each year, the Young Achievers College Tour gives teens an opportunity to explore colleges and universities in a different region of the United States.
For Amanda, the experiences on that college tour in 2014 helped her plan for the future. “It was very inspiring to see kids who went out of state for college,” she said. “I really started to see myself at a different level of achievement…I gained options.”
As a senior, Amanda attended the 2016 Spring College Tour, was accepted to five of the schools and received a total of $34,000 in scholarships.
The best part of Young Achievers is being able to be around people who are supportive,” Amanda said. “And also being able to have hands-on experiences with career exploration that we wouldn’t normally have as part of school.”
College Tour Recap
Read all about the 2017 Young Achievers Spring College Tour, which included 8 universities in 4 states and $160,000 in college scholarship offers.