JMC launches pre-college program for high school students

April 12, 2023 - Claire Smith, SRP '25

From March 27-31, James Madison College’s Office of Justice, Equity and Inclusion (OJEI) hosted several high school students from Lansing’s Everett High School, J.W. Sexton High School and Eastern High School for JMC’s first “Pre-Residential Immersive Madison Experience” (PRIME). The group spent their week-long spring break at Madison, enrolled in a college preparatory course, learned about JMC majors, went on a tour of MSU and engaged in several different educational activities, including a capstone project.

Students seated at a round table — *High school students from Lansing Public Schools attend an event featuring Chief Judge Janice Cunningham in Club Spartan with JMC students, faculty and staff.*

Students attended lectures by JMC Professors Amanda Flaim, Kirstin Brathwaite, Brianne Wolf and Daniel Ahlquist, and engaged in activities related to Model UN, climate change and Mock Trial. Central to PRIME’s mission is to introduce high school students to the resources available to support their academic interests and career goals. Students met with both an academic adviser and JMC’s assistant director for Career Services, along with a JMC student panel and a representative from MSUFCU who spoke about financial literacy. The culminating event featured Chief Judge Janice Cunningham who spoke to the JMC community about her career path.

Everett High School eleventh grader Siham Dhagan appreciated the opportunity to learn about Judge Cunningham’s workload and how she has a background in family and civil law. “I liked her opinion about helping people [with drug-related offenses], rather than putting them in prison.”