Rural College Access Road Trips

Each fall and winter, we bring out-of-state colleges to rural high schools throughout Northern New Mexico to facilitate college access workshops. We love this program for a lot of reasons: we have the opportunity to show off our beautiful state, to speak with young people about their hopes (and fears!) about life after high school, to spotlight great students and schools that colleges may otherwise never visit, and to work directly with local educators leading the charge in their schools and communities.

The Rural College Access Road Trips change assumptions about college affordability and access. Through workshops, panels, and college fairs, students are challenged to imagine the value their rural experiences bring to colleges across the country. Our goal? To partner with schools as they expand their college-going cultures, to offer students concrete next steps on their educational journeys, and to push college admissions representatives to nuance their understandings of rural communities in New Mexico.

Featuring: Rural College Access Road Trip programs in Questa & Taos, September 2024

Source: PBS NewHour

Sample Program

9:00-9:30 AM: Panel featuring Four Colleges

9:40-10:25 AM: Workshops

12th Grade: The Cost of College

11th Grade: Introduction to Holistic Admissions

10th Grade: College Exploration

10:30-11:00 AM: College Fair in the Library

Sample Routes

Past Participating Colleges & Universities

Interested in joining us on the road?

Whether you are a rural high school excited to host a program or a college hoping to join us on the road, we want to hear from you! Leave us a note, and we’ll reach out soon.