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For Avery Danage, it’s never too early to start recruiting students.

Kent State welcomed a group of about 100 eighth-graders from Canton Thursday for a campus tour and a talk about their futures. The event was the first of four pre-college programs organized by the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Danage, the pre-college facilitator for the division, said the purpose of the event is to showcase all parts of university life.

“They think school is just all academics,” Danage said. “(We are helping) them experience other things KSU has to offer.”

Dr. Geraldine Hayes-Nelson, the assistant vice president of pipeline initiatives and diversity programming, said she hoped a day on campus would help eighth-graders start thinking about their career paths.

“What we would like to do is to give you an opportunity to be exposed to college,” said Nelson.

Before the tour, Nelson addressed the eighth-graders in the multipurpose room of Oscar Ritchie Hall. She said they should start thinking about what classes to take in high school, maintaining their GPAs and prepping for the ACT.

“What you do in eighth grade really, really does count,” she said.

Kent State students from Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta, Delta Sigma Theta and Kappa Sigma led the eighth-graders on tours and fielded questions about everything from time management to mailboxes to paying for college.

After stopping in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, Eastway Center and Air Traffic Control Center in Van Deusen Hall, the eighth-graders had lunch and Nelson thanked everyone for their participation.

Danage said although he has groups visiting Kent State every week, the eighth-graders are personally special to him.

“My favorite groups are the young kids because they find everything so fascinating, and their faces light up.”

Contact Daniel Moore at [email protected].