This CAP and GOWN trip was beneficial in many ways towards my future and my college choices. One of the colleges I enjoyed the most was Christian Brothers University; this campus really matched what I want my future campus life to feel like. I learned a lot about the university and what it offers.

My favorite part about the trip was walking the streets of New Orleans and seeing the culture night life. I learned that New Orleans is still effected by Hurricane Katrina and that the city really comes to life when celebrating mardi gras. The food in New Orleans was some of the best food I have ever tasted. To add to the wonderful tour of the city, we also toured the World War 2 museum which was a lot of fun and very informational and beneficial to my education. I also enjoyed going to the famous Café du Monde in the French Quarter. CAP and GOWN has opened up so many opportunities for my future and provided me with fun and entertainment for the entire trip. I was blessed to be given an opportunity that most students don’t have.

-Alexis Battie, 11th grade

The CAP and GOWN trip was literally the best way to spend my spring break. This trip successfully helped me with picking my future college. Before this trip, I was lost. I had my major already picked out, but not a specific school to pursue my major at. Other than picking a future college this trip also informed me more about our history—the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr., and World War 2.

The CAP and GOWN Spring Break College Tour was also fun! It wasn’t like school, where sometimes we feel overloaded with information. Everything we did had a fun activity to go along with it. We went to museums, movies, bowling, basketball games, and art shows. We were also able to explore the cities that we were visiting and even try new foods, some of which we had never even heard of before. Even the long bus rides were educational and enriching, filled with movies, conversations with old and new friends, reading, eating, and sleeping. We had many hands on experiences and opportunities to grow and learn all along the way. I’m glad that I could attend this CAP and GOWN trip and that the teachers who are over the program care about me and all the students. I encourage everyone to attend the next trip and the many after that. This program is truly a blessing and will open doors for you that you never knew were there.

-Dekaya Hewlett, 9th grade

A year ago, during this very same week, I decided what university I wanted to attend. Its name is Tulane. I immediately fell in love with the beautiful campus, subtropical weather, and exuberant students and administration. My dream to attend Tulane made me reform my disgraceful academic habits. Now, in my junior year, I’ve come back to visit the gorgeous city of New Orleans; and, I’ve fallen in love again. I went on a personal admissions tour and I was reminded why I initially felt that this was the school for me. The day after the personal tour, my peers—visiting for the first time—toured the same campus. The tour was led by a Tulane alum—and my favorite former teacher—Ellie Kramer. Now, I’m sure many of my peers feel the same way about Tulane’s campus as I do. Furthermore, I wish to thank the CAP and GOWN Project, not only for investing in my future and instilling in me a sense of hope and promise, but for exposing my peers and I to places of higher learning that we were once blind to.

-Isiah Franklin, 11th grade

On almost every college tour I have attended I have heard them say or imply that small class sizes equal better learning. However, I never saw an example of that. On my recent visit to Tulane University though, I got to audit an upper level creative writing course and I got to see first-hand the actual environment of a small classroom—and I am sold. This experience of sitting in on my first college class really opened my eyes. Professor Bellers’s class really exemplified the great advantages that a small classroom has to offer. The professor knew each student by name and each student engaged with each other through an interesting Socratic seminar discussion. It was like experiencing a family get together in front of my eyes. It appeared that each student was engaged in the conversation and was open to learn from the instructor and each other. I don’t believe that without this experience visiting Tulane University I would know what I want in my own future college environment. I thank the CAP and GOWN project for changing my mindset from fixed to open, helping me to be more optimistic about my future plans, and allowing me to take all things into consideration when picking a college.

-KJ Nairn, 11th grade

The Spring Break CAP and GOWN trip was a very fun and great learning experience for me. We visited many universities and went to two museums. The first museum we visited was the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. We learned about the history of black people in America, and all the harsh circumstances they have endured. Next, the World War II museum was also interesting because of all the artifacts that were there and were used in the war. Also, the 4-D movie we watched in the museum made allowed us to get a sense of what it must have been like to experience the war.

My favorite university of this whole tour was Tulane. Even though they don’t offer the major that I want to study, the campus was amazing and seemed like a family environment. The tour of the University of South Alabama was amazing. That is by far my favorite campus because that is my dream university and the school where I most feel that I belong.

-Quintavea Davis, 9th grade

The sheer amount of knowledge I received from each University on the CAP and GOWN spring break college tour was incredible, necessary, and appreciated. During the course of the trip, we visited many unique universities and museums. Being able to experience a real college classroom at Tulane was great! The professor knew all his students’ names and it felt like a comfortable environment. I realized that I would love to be in a small classroom where I can better connect with my professors in college. My favorite colleges we visited were Ole’ Miss and U.S.A. Ole’ Miss is a beautiful campus and has a good medical program. There is also a diverse population of students and the tour guide said their classes are small— about 20 students per class. Although we did not have an official tour of U.S.A., I had been considering the college before the trip. They have a great medical program and an amazing campus. The CAP and GOWN trip was about more that just touring colleges all day. In addition, we tasted wonderful food and visited the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and the WWII museum in New Orleans. We saw the motel room where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. We also went to Studio BE--an art gallery-- where we met the artist, “BMike.” We couldn’t believe BMike was there and we got to hear him explain his reasoning behind his pieces. We had a lot of fun on this trip hanging with friends, exploring, learning, and touring. I cannot think of a better way I could have spent my spring break.

-Tederia Ashley, 9th grade

Student Voices on the 2017 Spring Break College Tour