Fifty students from Barringer Ninth Grade Success Academy in Newark, N.J., visited Temple recently to get a taste of the college experience.

Temple tour guides took the group members to many of the places they might one day frequent as Temple students: meeting and work-spaces such as the library, Student Center and TECH Center; classrooms in the Tyler School of Art and Alter Hall; and the dining hall at Johnson and Hardwick halls. A panel of Temple students joined the group for lunch to answer questions about their college experience. The Barringer students also attended an information session with the Admissions Office and browsed the university bookstore.

The program is designed to enhance educational opportunities for middle and high schools around the country by providing out-of-classroom learning experiences. For many of the Barringer students who participated, the visit was their first experience traveling outside of Newark.

The trip was led by teachers in Teach for America, a national nonprofit organization that works to end educational inequity by placing highly-qualified teachers in urban and rural public schools in low-income communities, and sponsored by Fidelity Investments. Fidelity representatives joined the Barringer students throughout the day to offer advice on how they can prepare for college and career success.