{"id":56681,"date":"2020-10-16T09:41:35","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T14:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=56681"},"modified":"2020-10-16T09:41:37","modified_gmt":"2020-10-16T14:41:37","slug":"kams-student-making-the-most-out-of-early-college-experience-at-fhsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=56681","title":{"rendered":"KAMS student making the most out of early college experience at FHSU"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By UNIVERSITY RELATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anaia Johnson was well aware of the broad range of experiences she would gain when she was accepted into the Academy of Math and Science (AMS) at Fort Hays State University in 2019. Her older sister, Aaliyah, was already attending the premier early college program for gifted and talented high school students from around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when Anaia left behind her\nclassmates at Turner High School in Kansas City and enrolled in KAMS \u2013 the AMS\nprogram for students who live in Kansas \u2013 she probably couldn\u2019t have imagined\nthe success she would enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of 44 high-school age students\ntaking classes and living on the Fort Hays State campus, Anaia this fall was\nnamed a scholar for the College Board National African American Recognition\nProgram after scoring in the top 3 percent of her class on the PSAT test last\nyear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, that national program honors\nabout 5,000 academically outstanding African American students across the\nUnited States who have taken the PSAT, the standardized test administered by\nthe College Board for high juniors and seniors. With the scholar honor usually\ncomes college scholarship offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That good news for Anaia came on the\nheels of learning earlier this semester she had received the KC Scholars\nScholarship, a $10,000-per year, income-based award for 17 schools in eastern\nKansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnaia has taken advantage of a lot of\nopportunities to prepare her for college and for her future,\u201d said Sherri\nMatlock, Anaia\u2019s academic advisor. \u201cShe is a great ambassador for our KAMS program.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students in the KAMS\/AMS residential\nprogram take college classes along with other college students and can earn up\nto 68 credits. By the end of their second year at Fort Hays State, KAMS\/AMS\nstudents graduate from their sending high school and can either continue\nstudying at FHSU or transfer to another university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anaia, who is considering majoring in\npolitical science, is undecided where she will continue her education next\nfall. But for now, she wants to concentrate on this year, her last in the program\nbefore completing requirements in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She talks about her involvement in\nstudent organizations at Fort Hays State and how that has benefitted her grow\nas a person. Last year, she served as an ambassador for the KAMS program. She\nis an active member of the Black Student Union and a member of the Custer Hall\nCouncil. Custer is the residence hall for AMS and KAMS students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing involved on campus, I am able to\nbuild a sense of community and develop friendships outside of the KAMS\nprogram,\u201d she said. \u201cI have been able to build social connections with people\nwho I usually wouldn\u2019t be comfortable talking with outside my bubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anaia first became familiar with\nprecollege preparation programs in her early high school years in Kansas City.\nShe took apart in Upward Bound, a program with the U.S. Department of Education\nthat provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their precollege\nperformance and in their higher education pursuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Anaia, KAMS is reinforcing the\nfoundation she began building as a student in Upward Bound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really like the college atmosphere\nand the independence of KAMS,\u201d she said. \u201cI have had to learn how to manage my\ntime well and how to self-advocate, and I think all that will be really useful\nin my future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matlock agrees that KAMS has bolstered\nAnaia\u2019s confidence and determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnaia has a strong will to achieve, and\nhaving the extra support of programs like Upward Bound and KAMS are truly life\nchanging,\u201d Matlock said. \u201cI look forward to seeing what this bright, personal,\narticulate and self-reliant young woman is doing with her life in the future.\nAnaia will seek to influence the world for good. KAMS is very proud of her and\ngrateful that we have had a part in shaping her aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While she said she misses the personal\ninteraction of in-class instruction, Anaia has adjusted to her new lifestyle.\nBecause of changes to class schedules because of COVID-19, most of Anaia\u2019s\nclasses this semester are online, so much of her time is spent in Custer Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She appreciates the efforts the\nuniversity has made with safety measures for the campus community during a\npandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it came rather easily to make\nsome minor adjustments, like wearing a mask all the time,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing a\nstudent in a pandemic is tough, but Fort Hays State has developed ways for us\nto still be able to learn, whether in the classroom or online, and that\u2019s the\nimportant thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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