Spring Break in 'Big Easy' Isn't Just a Vacation

The arduous job of sifting through colleges and deciding your future is one of the most daunting and difficult tasks for seniors in high school. With thousands of colleges and universities to choose from and even more career paths to consider, Carl Hudson, Assistant Principal of Marquette High School, has been actively attempting to eradicate this issue for local students.

Hudson, 44, began a program 18 years ago with Rockwood and Kirkwood high schools that allows open enrollment for a chance to visit three to five colleges in either Atlanta, Washington D.C., Houston, Nashville or New Orleans.

"If you get involved as a freshman, you could see 12 to 15 colleges by the time you graduate, and you can hopefully narrow down where you want to go," Hudson said.

Ellisville resident and Marquette sophomore Courtney Crutchfield, 16, along with about 45 other students, will accompany Hudson during this week's trip to New Orleans. She said this is a chance for students to get a glimpse of the college culture.

“The point of the trip is to give students something to look forward to and something to aspire to, and a preview of the college life,” Crutchfield said. “It’s pretty much giving students a heads up on what you can do after high school.”

Hudson said more than 750 students have utilized this opportunity with about 30 to 40 participants actually attending one of the schools visited. This year the students will travel by bus to New Orleans and visit Loyola University, Jackson State University, Tulane University, Dillard University and Xavier University. The trip will also contains a cultural element and allows for the students to see the sights of each city.

“The mission of the trip is to expose students to the opportunity of attending colleges,” Hudson said. “We’ll be able to speak to college counselors about enrolling, scholarships, all the academics and see all the sights and sounds of the cities.”

Crutchfield said the universities in the line-up traditionally are considered African American colleges. In a meeting with the top 25 percent of African American students in Marquette, she said she was informed of this trip. Students and their families are responsible for coming up with funds independently, but anyone can enroll.

Crutchfield said she’s excited to visit all the colleges, but would pick Xavier as a favorite. The students and chaperones left for New Orleans on Thursday and are scheduled to return on Tuesday.