WMU hosts area sixth-graders to show college life

Contact: Deanne Puca
Photo of a room full of middle-school students raising their hands.

Sixth-grade students will visit WMU in February and March to get a glimpse of college life.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Sixth-grade students in the Kalamazoo Public Schools' Class of 2026 will tour Western Michigan University for a day on a school-by-school basis and participate in free activities on campus beginning Tuesday, Feb. 25, and continuing through Wednesday, March 18.

For the 11th year in a row, students will get a firsthand look at college life and the opportunities available with a college education through a program called Bronco BUDS—Building Unique Dynamic Students. Through the initiative, the University partners with KPS to encourage early middle school students to set their sights on college and take advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise tuition scholarship program.

During the month, KPS will transport all of the district's sixth-graders to WMU for a day to engage in hands-on activities related to choosing a college career and to take a University tour. The latter includes visits to a classroom and residence hall. Students also eat lunch at a campus dining hall. KPS students are guided through their college experience by WMU students and staff. Many of the college-student guides are Kalamazoo Promise scholarship recipients themselves.

Bronco BUDS is an annual program for KPS sixth-graders, beginning with the Class of 2016, that is reinforced with programs each year as these students move toward high school graduation.

For more information, contact the WMU Office of Diversity and Inclusion at (269) 387-6313.

For additional information or to arrange or confirm coverage, contact Paula Davis in WMU's Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications at (269) 387-8411.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News.