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Kids experience 'college life' through county's explorers program

 
College Explorer student Riquan Moore receives his certificate of completion from community action board chairman Greg Spearman. 
College Explorer student Riquan Moore receives his certificate of completion from community action board chairman Greg Spearman. 
Published July 30, 2016

Anaiya Payne's participation in Hillsborough County's College Explorers Program got off to a rocky start.

Just a few days into a five-week stay in Tallahassee at Florida A&M University, Anaiya phoned her mother and begged to come home.

"I'd never been away from home that long," said Anaiya, 16.

After pep talks from her mother, Tammy Starke, and encouragement from her brothers and fellow College Explorers participants Armani, 15, and Amarion, 14, Anaiya decided to stick it out.

She's glad she did.

Had she left, Anaiya, a junior at Tampa Bay Technical High School, would have missed out on visiting national monuments in Washington, D.C., learning about important African-American figures in Florida history, and being elected president of the 2016 College Explorers class.

"After I got to see the big picture, I gave it a try," she said. "I got to see that I'm here for a reason."

Anaiya's experience is exactly what officials hope all College Explorers encounter, said Audrey Ziegler, director of Hillsborough's social services department, which administers the College Explorers Program.

Since 2014, 124 Hillsborough students identified as struggling academically have enrolled in the program designed to prevent them from dropping out of high school and show them that the path to a college education is within reach.

At Florida A&M, students live in dorms and take a variety of classes including English, math, art, and African-American studies. Personal development activities are provided through weekly seminars, workshops and motivational trips.

To participate, students must meet income eligibility requirements of household income below 125 percent of the federal poverty level and complete an extensive application process.

"To be able to have that experience . . . that's a great opportunity for them to be involved in," Ziegler said.

Anaiya's now decided to apply to Florida State University, where she'll study business administration and play softball. After college, she plans to open her own daycare center.

At a recent celebration ceremony at Robert W. Saunders Sr. Library, Anaiya said she stepped up to the role of class president thanks to the "driven, ambitious, motivated person in me" and acknowledged that she wasn't alone in her personal growth.

"We all left with something we didn't come with, be it friends or wisdom," she said.

Starke said she knew from her sons' experiences the benefits of the program — exposure to college life, daily classes, field trips — would transform her daughter.

Armani, Amarion, and oldest son Anthony, 17, all returned home more disciplined, more "of a family."

Most importantly, they started talking about going to college, Starke said.

"They see how college life is, how it's possible now," she said.

Davina Moore said she's seen similar changes in her five sons since their return from the state capital.

Instead of hanging out in the neighborhood with friends, the boys stay in the house reading and "learning more new things," she said.

"(College Explorers) changed them," Moore said at the celebration ceremony. "They are different children."

Ricquan Moore, 17, a junior at Freedom High School, said he now wants to attend Florida A&M and study political science.

"Going in, it helped me change my ways," he said. "It's got me to be more hands-on with my future."

Contact Kenya Woodard at hillsnews@tampabay.com.