Howard University students visit Metro Detroit for alternative spring break
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - There are some new students at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield. But they're not just there for fun and games.
They're college students from Howard University in Washington, D.C., one the nation's oldest and more prestigious historically Black colleges and universities. They're here for what they call an alternative spring break.
"You can go to spring break and you can do a lot of the spring break things at any point in your life, but we're only in college once, and you only get get a certain amount of opportunities to reach young people while you're young," said Devonte King, an ASB team leader with Howard University.
"Just to encourage the youth of the importance of higher education. We've also been going to afterschool programs. We've been having panels to talk about the different kinds of majors, how to pay for college," added Kiara Kelly, Howard's ASB coordinator.
Because the big kids want the smaller ones to know that education opens up a world of opportunity.
"I just came out of a class with fifth graders and asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up and a lot of them said, 'I want to be in the NFL,' or 'I want to be in the NBA.' I want to tell them, like, you know, there's other ways to have a really high-paying job, take care of your family and provide for them, that includes higher education," said King.
It's been an impactful visit.
"It was like they were celebrities, they were superstars. They literally, like went to the window and put their faces to the window when the kids came in. I've never seen that happen before," said Carlis Gaddis, a third grade teacher at Stevenson Elementary.
"I really love having those in-depth conversations with students because you can really connect with them on a level that some teachers can't," Kelly said. "You get really in-depth on their life, like you realize that sometimes parents don't care, the teachers don't care, and they're like, I have this I don't care mindset, but if you're there to empower them and tell them there's more than just this and encourage them that there's more than just your hometown."
As a token of appreciation for the Howard students, a teacher with a personal connection to the university had a surprise for the group.
"At the end, each student will get the opportunity to apply for a scholarship that my family and I have pulled together in honor of our daughter, Clarissa Brielle Gaddis. She was an alternative spring break student as well, so we wanted to give these students an opportunity to apply for the scholarship," said Gaddis.
Gaddis says the scholarship helps keep her daughter's memory alive.
