Hundreds of students from a local middle school will get an opportunity to tour TCU’s campus today through a field trip hosted by the School of Education.More than 400 students from Tannahill Intermediate School from low-income families will receive tours from 40 volunteers and students from the School of Education.

Volunteers for this event were found through a mass e-mail sent to international students and minority undergraduates.

Ashley Flahive, an education graduate student, said TCU and the White Settlement Independent School District have been in a partnership for five years, and this event will let students know that college is an option.

David Bitters, principal of Tannahill Intermediate School, said, “The field trip to TCU will give the students the initiative to get involved in going to college.”

Lindsay Brown, an education graduate student, said, “This should be a rewarding experience for the children because going to college usually isn’t the norm in low-income families, and the field trip will give the students the opportunity to know that college is something that they can do in the future.”

During the tour, students will get an opportunity to see the different departments at TCU and talk with Greek and athletic panels of students.

Brown said that seeing various departments of the campus will give the students the chance to know that there are different colleges and degrees in which they can be interested.

Kevin Gates, a sophomore biology major who is volunteering for the event, said, “I remember when I was in sixth grade and looked up to college students, and hopefully, they will do the same for us, and we can serve as a positive influence.”

After the event last year, Bitters said, the middle school students went back to school with a better attitude toward their studies.

“The students can grasp this experience at a young age which will create an opportunity to see something that they have never seen before,” Bitters said.