On Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, Opportunity Scholars from the David Eccles School of Business partnered with more than 150 community members to clean and ready Redwood Elementary School for the year. Fellow participants included elementary teachers, the West Valley City Council, and Eccles School Academic Advisors and Business Career Coaches.

Service is an integral part of the Opportunity Scholars program that helps students realize they can make a difference and give them the tools to do so.

“Not only does service develop awareness and a better understanding of the communities they live in,” said Latu Kinikini, program manager for the Opportunity Scholars Program, “but it creates outreach, recruitment, and retention for the students themselves and prospective students about higher education. When students get involved in community service, they not only help others, they also expand their worldview, develop empathy and leadership skills, and realize how their actions can have a positive impact as they encourage the pursuit of higher education for underrepresented populations.”

Our scholars couldn’t agree more. Sophomore Wilson Tran spoke of his own experience growing up in the area and how he understands first-hand the socioeconomic realities of many students at Redwood Elementary School. The gratification of giving back to this community is a large part of what drives him to be successful in his education at the Eccles School.

Senior, Wendy Yu echoed these sentiments. As a first-generation student from a non-English speaking home, Wendy spoke of how she wasn’t sure that higher education would be feasible for her. It was similar volunteers and mentors that showed her that not only was college a possibility but provided her with the steps to do so as well.

WVCTV interviewed some of our Opportunity Scholars who grew up in West Valley City:

The goal of the Opportunity Scholars Program at the David Eccles School of Business is to support and enhance the educational experience of first-generation business scholars as they progress toward graduation. For more information, visit Eccles.Link/opportunity-scholars.