FIRST-YEAR HORNETS ENJOY UNIVERSITY'S WRITING PARTNERS PROGRAM

10/19/2012

Jordan Carlberg runs through a tunnel of Barbara Comstock Morse students.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sacramento State student-athletes recently sent their final letters to students from Barbara Comstock Morse elementary school, completing their work as part of their first-year seminar classes and Sacramento State's Writing Partners program.

Writing Partners is the brainchild of a non-profit organization called Write to Succeed, Inc. The program was designed to foster mentor-like relationships through literacy. The Writing Partners Program was first piloted at Sacramento State in the summer of 2005 by Dr. Catherine Gabor, then with the English Department and a former member of Write to Succeed, Inc.. Since then, Writing Partners has been run at Sacramento State every semester through the community engagement center, in courses such as nursing, teacher education, EOP, first-year student seminars and composition.

Sacramento State student-athletes taking first-year seminar classes participate in the Writing Partners program, where they encourage their K-12 partners to strive for higher education and give an inside look at college, while at the same time solidifying their own knowledge of the course content and the university itself. Writing Partners often teach college students valuable life lessons as well.

"I loved being a part of the Writing Partners program," said freshman football player Bryce Henderson. "It was great to work with kids and inspire them to come to college."

For Sacramento State student-athletes in one such first-year seminar class, they were partnered with students at Barbara Comstock Morse elementary. Students from each school wrote each other three letters before Barbara Comstock Morse students visited the Sacramento State campus for a tour and attended the women's soccer game with their partners. They exchanged final letters last week.

"We enjoyed working with the Community Engagement Center on campus this fall through the Writing Partners program," said compliance director Katherine Zedonis, who also teaches one of the first-year seminar classes. "Our freshmen student-athletes gained a great deal from exchanging letters during their seminar course with the fifth and six graders at Barbara Comstock Morse."