This was no ordinary Spring Break for a group of freshmen and juniors who currently attend a high school school in north Portland.  Instead, these young people were exposed to a myriad of educational environments and forced to see the process of going to college through a clearer lens.  Many of the imaginary barriers that keep families from pursuing college - such as finances, grades and fear of leaving home - were addressed during the seven day excursion and many returned to Portland with a road map to achieving their goals.

It was critical for the entourage to get fully immersed in southern culture, so the trip began with a late night visit to The Waffle House.  They were amazed by how much food you could get for $8 and had a ball in trying to order their hashbrowns as pros of The Shack - chunked, scattered, covered, capped or country.  Their first experience as The Waffle House was a major hit.  How do I know?  Because for the rest of the trip, every time we passed one on the freeway, they would announce "and there's The Waffle House."  With the two-hour time difference, the future college graduates did not feel tired ... until 7 AM the next morning when it was time for The Dean's Meeting.  Junior, a freshman among the group, said that he gained 10 pounds on the trip.  Guess it was not hard to do when you think about them experiencing for the first time - not only The Waffle House, but Pascal's Sunday Brunch, Krystals, Golden Corral, Cracker Barrell and Ryans.

University of Alabama at Huntsville was the first school  on the route.  Though the college students were on spring break, the financial aid and scholarship office met with the Portland entrourage and explained how aid and scholarships are distributed.  Across town are two historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and we had the  pleasure to visit one of them - Alabama A & M University.     Admissions counselors welcomed the group to "The Hill" and explained that though this land grant institution is rigorous, it would consider giving a chance to a high school graduate with only a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.  With a new sense of hope, the young people were eager to hear about opportunities at the remaining schools on the route: University of Georgia, Tuskegee University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark-Atlanta University, Georgia Tech, Agnes Scott College, Auburn University and Alabama State University.

In addition to learning about the educational opportunties at colleges in that area, the group had the honor of visiting some of the most prominent Civil Rights landmarks in Birmingham, Montgomery and Atlanta.  It all began with a tour of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church led by an elder who was a child in the congregation the day the bomb killed four little girls and seriously injured another 20 people.  Other highlights were The King Center, Martin Luther King's birth home, Martin and Coretta's final resting place, Booker T. Washington's home, burial sites for Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and the infamous bus stops where Rosa Parks boarded the bus and was arrested.

Click here if you have interest in participaing in the 2012 Spring Break Tour.  There is no financial commitment for registering.

YAMU of Oregon is currently coordinating its 2012 Spring Break Tour.  Pending dates are March 24 - April 1.  Cost of the tour is $1600 per person which includes round-trip airfare,  hotel accommodations, ground transportation to transfer delegation between cities, most meals, college counseling and the Admissions / Scholarship workbook.

$200 deposit and Reserveration Form are due to secure a space on the tour.  Participation is limited and granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The tour route may be adjusted should these dates conflict with the colleges' Spring Break.