Three students in the BNSF Neeley Leadership Program are offering prospective students a one-on-one guided tour of TCU’s campus through Frog Shadow, a new student-led organization.

Frog Shadow was created to help give high school students a more personalized, transparent tour of TCU.

Taven Sparks, a junior management and finance double major, is one of the three juniors who started the project.

“We wanted to help ease high school students into college transition… by creating a one-on-one mentorship program where high school students can come to TCU’s campus and shadow one of our mentors and have the opportunity to see a transparent view of what TCU really is,” Sparks said.

Co-founder Kamryn Conway said the program aims to make the process of deciding on a college easier. High school seniors are paired with a tour guide based on hometowns, majors and interests. Guides act as mentors and stay in touch with the prospective students.

This semester, Frog Shadow will invite prospective students who were awarded the Dean’s Scholarship, worth $18,000 per year, to participate. During the two-and-a-half-hour tour, the high school seniors will get sit in on college classes.

“The shadow mentor will take them on the customized one-on-one program throughout campus, showing them what it’s like to be a student on campus,d” said Conway, a marketing and finance with real estate double major.

The idea for Frog Shadow came from the Neeley Leadership Program’s requirement for juniors to create a year-long impact project.

“The project ends in April, but we are excited to oversee this program through our graduation in 2017,” Sparks said. “And [we’re] excited for our [executive] team in the future to continue to enhance the program and continue for this to grow and spread and be able to impact many potential students.”

Frog Shadow differs from other guided campus tours, such as those offered by Student Foundations and Ambassadors, because it is a one-on-one tour instead of a group tour, Sparks said. More students may feel comfortable asking questions one-on-one, Sparks said.

Conway said she hopes that in the future, Frog Shadow will give tours to all high school students, not just Dean’s Scholars.

“Come 10 years down the road, our hope is that we come back here and see this program flourishing,” Conway said.

Sparks said more than 175 TCU students have applied for the program.

“It’s not to get something on their resume, it’s because they wish they had something like that,” said Connor Vaccaro, a junior entrepreneurial management major.

Applications to be a Frog Shadow mentor and guide are closed for the spring, but will be available in the fall. To apply, you must be at least second-semester freshman.