A June 16-18 conference at Calvin College will help approximately 100 seventh through twelfth graders take their first step into a real college experience.
The Striving Toward Educational Possibilities (STEP) conference takes place at Calvin each year (under the umbrella of the college's Pathways to Possibilities program) as a way to encourage junior high and high school students who might not think college is within their grasp.
But this year's conference has a little twist. It was organized completely by STEP alumni - Calvin senior Anissa Adkins, Michigan State junior Geoff Powell and Grand Rapids Community College sophomore Jonathan Jelks.
Together the trio has planned an event that, beginning with the campus move-in at 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 16 and ending with a closing ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, June 18, will be a whirlwind of classes, workshops, panel discussions, worship services and fun activities - all focused on encouraging students, many of whom attend core city churches in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland, toward post-high school education.
STEP, says Rhae Ann Booker, Calvin's director of pre-college programs, fosters an environment where students learn firsthand what it's like to be a college student.
The STEP conferees will live in Calvin residence halls, eat their meals in the campus dining halls and register for simulated college classes, just like regular college students. Among the many offerings are such courses as: Political Science 101: The Difference of One Vote, Biology 101: Milk Does a Body Good, Sociology 101: Real World, The Teenage Years, Computer Technology 101: You’ve Got Mail, Journalism 101: You, The Reporter and Business 101: From Backpack to briefcase. Calvin faculty members and area professionals teach the simulated courses and Calvin students assist throughout the conference.
Adkins worked as a residence advisor at the 2003 STEP conference and came away from that experience with some ideas for improving the event. When she brought them to Booker she was challenged to take a leadership role for 2004.
"I went to Rhae Ann," Adkins recalls, "and gave her some ideas about how things could be better. She threw it back at me and said, 'Why don't you plan it?'"
Adkins, Powell and Jelks have worked some subtle changes into the schedule, which they hope will have profound results. The team has replaced the usual keynote address with a panel of community and college leaders, who will address the students' questions about the college experience. 
"We've tried to make it really relevant to where they are," Adkins says.
The trio also organized this year's STEP as a contest, with points awarded for every activity. Students will compete in groups of 20 to receive a bonanza of gift certificates from area stores.
All of the changes, on top of the normal planning, have made this a hectic time for the three organizers.
"When we first took it on, we definitely didn’t understand all the work that goes into it," Adkins says. "Rhae Ann's been very supportive throughout the whole thing, but I definitely feel responsible. Excited too."
Booker says the involvement of Adkins, Powell and Jelks is a heartening development.
"It's a good feeling," she says, "to see the students come back and take a leadership role in the program and have a positive impact on the lives of upcoming youth."
Pathways to Possibilities is a college-church urban youth initiative, supported by grants, corporate giving and administered through the office of pre-college programs at Calvin. Through the program, Calvin partners with local churches to encourage children and youth to value learning, seek academic success and higher education and strive to live responsible lives.