Pace High students go on tour of Florida universities

By Rene David Basulto - Monsignor Edward Pace HS

MIAMI GARDENS | Twenty-five juniors and seniors at Msgr. Edward Pace High School got a first-hand look at their college prospects when they went on a three-day tour of six Florida universities from Oct. 6 to 8. The students were chaperoned by Pace’s dean of academics, Rebeca Bautista, and college advisor Lilian Dubon, along with a director from the tour’s organizer, College Campus Trips.

After meeting up at Pace early on Oct. 6, students and chaperones rode a bus to Fort Myers to spend their morning at Florida Gulf Coast University; headed to Tampa to visit the University of South Florida in the afternoon; and ate dinner at the University of Florida in Gainesville at night. The next morning, students got a tour of the University of Florida, headed to Tallahassee to visit Florida State University in the afternoon, and ended their evening in Jacksonville. On the final day, students went on a tour of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and headed south to Orlando and the University of Central Florida before finally arriving back at Pace in the evening.

The tour was the first of its kind that Pace students have been on. As part of their tours, students got to walk through the six colleges’ campuses, see classrooms, and speak with current university students. They also got the chance to have honest conversations with recent Pace alumni, such as Javier Gonzalez, class of 2012, at FSU; Janelle Gonzalez, class of 2014, at UCF; and Tommy Aponte, class of 2013, who gave the tour of the University of Florida as a UF Student Ambassador. 

“For me, personally, the most memorable experience was our alumni at the different universities making the time to meet me and our students,” said Dubon. “It proved that, in fact, there is a family bond that is created among Spartans, a bond that is everlasting because of the memories and experiences they live while at Pace.”

“It is very important for students to visit the colleges and imagine themselves there,” said Dubon. She added that otherwise, students’ expectations about universities may be based on hearsay or public relations material put out by the college.

According to Dubon, while many students were awed by certain campuses, particularly UF and its facilities, what matters in the end is that students decide on what school is best for them. “Individual perceptions of what a university should be like varies from individual to individual and not all colleges have the same environment and/or atmosphere,” said Dubon.

Pace junior Michael Barcelo, who said he wanted to know all of his options for Florida universities, was one of those students who had his eyes opened by the trip. “I only had UM and FIU in mind before I went on this tour,” said Barcelo. “Now I have a better understanding of the other universities in Florida and can't wait to go to UNF!”

Pace will host its next college trip in fall 2015.