Texas State students got the opportunity to take their very own ‘baby Bobcats’ under their wing during the 7th Annual Bobcat for a Day event Tuesday.
Bobcat for a Day is a mentor program hosted by the Office of Community Relations under University Advancement. The program pairs current Texas State students with local high school juniors, allowing them to explore campus for a day and get a feel for what college is really like.
Founder Kim Porterfield, Community Relations director, said the program has developed in both quantity and value over the years.
“It has grown considerably,” Porterfield said. “We’ve gained numbers and quality to the program. It started with only thirty high school students and thirty college students. Today we have one hundred high school students and one hundred college students.”
Porterfield said they ask current university students to show their high school student campus resources, such as Student Learning Assistance Center, the Wittliff Collections, or to let them tour a dorm room or attend a lecture.
“We have tried to make it more meaningful for the college and high school students,” Porterfield said. “We like students who have class (during the day), because high school students can attend a class, and that’s the biggest difference between college and high school – what happens in the classroom.”
Ashley Grood, Lockhart High School junior, said she was surprised by the welcoming atmosphere of the campus.
“I was surprised by how everyone was just really nice to each other,” Groot said. “It wasn’t like high school where everything is drama.”
The program uses a matching process when students register for the program, so high school students can spend the day with a college student who is pursuing a degree in the major they are considering, Porterfield said.
“I was with two mentors,” Grood said. “I had a lot of things in common with one of them, because she was a music major and that’s what I want to do.”
Shelby Lowe, Lockhart High school junior, said she enjoyed learning about the business program because she wants to pursue it in college.
“It was pretty awesome,” Lowe said. “(My Bobcat) is in marketing and took me to McCoy on the third floor, where everyone was working hard. I can’t wait to be doing that someday.”
Porterfield said that every year, students reach out again to continue contact with their partner.
“The Texas State students who participate will e-mail us and say ‘Hey, I had a great time with my baby Bobcat, and I’d like to continue a mentor relationship,’” Porterfield said. “We’ll contact the school, and often they’ll meet the student for lunch, while a lot of them do pen-pal relationships too.”
Porterfield said high school students benefit from learning about all of university’s hidden niches and resources, while current college students have an opportunity to help out a local teenager and learn to lead.
“The benefits for the college students is to really give them the opportunity to show off their Bobcat pride, but it is also a great leadership opportunity.” Porterfield said. “They are able to see how just by giving a few hours back, they can make an impact in someone’s life.”