Middle School Trip to UCLA

Here at LA SCORES we have seen what the impact of a visit to a college campus can have on students. Miguel, who was in middle school when he went on an LA SCORES field trip to CSUN, decided then and there that that was the school for him. Years and lots of hardwork later, Miguel is not only at sophomore at Cal State Northridge, but a member of the club soccer team and student leader in various clubs on campus.

Last Friday, LA SCORES participants at Palms Middle School had a similar opportunity when they visited the campus of UCLA. The trip, coordinated and sponsored by the organization Coaching Corps (click here to visit their website) included a tour of many of the major sports facilities on campus as well as a Q & A panel consisting of students with a variety of experiences, student athletes in tennis, football, and dance, a Gates Scholar, club leaders, all representing different majors as well.

Throughout the tour, our LA SCORES students had the opportunity to speak with volunteers from Coaching Corps as they walked with our group through the entire tour. Outside of their wonderful hospitality, highlights of the trip included a visit to the UCLA Hall of Fame where all the Championship Trophies were on display, along with profiles on some of the most successful atheletes to come out of UCLA. (Fun fact: Did you know that if you took all the Olympic medals won by UCLA athletes and compared it to the the rest of the world, the school would rank fifth all time!) After this, we were taken to the student gym, Drake Field (a personal favorite since this is the soccer stadium) and a private tour of the brand new Pauly Pavilion! Our students were guided by Mick Deluca, Executive Director of Recreation and Campus Life at UCLA, and taken around the basketball stadium, through the player entrance and then had the chance to play and take pictures on the actual court! All around it was an experience anyone would be lucky to have, but we are especially proud that our students were a part of it.


You never know what the impact of a college visit is going to be, but I can say confidently that we have more than a few future Bruins in our midst now. Thanks again to Joe Hong, Cameron Hajialiakbar, Angi Daus, Cristina Tolentino, Mick Deluca, and everyone else who helped put this great trip together!