Free college tours for Sonoma teens

The college process can be overwhelming, expensive and scary, but the staff of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley’s Teen Club is trying to ease the process for its members by providing no-cost college tours.

The tours consist of a walk-through of a campus, reviewing the school’s most notable majors and programs, touring the enrollment office – which is where students go for admissions questions and financial aid – and, finally, a trip to the main campus dining hall.

Salam Mustafa, BGC college and career programs manager, organizes the tours.

At a recent tour of Dominican University, Melissa Alvarez, who is a BGCSV staff member and in her final year in the nursing program at Dominican, led the tour. She shared with the teens her experiences being enrolled in the nursing program, a recent internship at Kaiser, and her travel to remote villages in Uganda to provide health services.

Other BGC 2018 summer tours have included Sonoma State University, Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz and San Jose State University.

The Club at Maxwell Village is a large space dedicated to the nonprofit’s oldest members. Teens can study, socialize, engage in the arts and technology, and receive college and career counseling. Additional features include a media lab with iMac computers where teens can participate in workshops.

Learn more at facebook.com/theclubmaxwellvillage/.