Sixth graders at the Memphis Street Academy Charter School got a head start thinking about their college futures with a little help from Holy Family University.

At the request of their teacher Jennifer Douglas, a 2011 graduate of the School of Education in elementary education, the University "sponsored" her students by providing satchels, pennants, pens, and other items imprinted with the Holy Family logo. Also included were packets of information on attending Holy Family, provided by the Admissions Office.

Teachers at Memphis Street Academy, a tuition-free public school for grades 5-8, were asked to reach out to their alma maters to help motivate students to think about going to college. “I, of course, chose Holy Family,” Douglas said. “I truly love it here; I am a grad student.”

The twenty-seven students in Douglas’s classroom also decorated it with Holy Family University colors and logo-banners. “They are learning all about the University and are so excited about the opportunity that awaits them,” Douglas told Holy Family’s Director of Alumni and Parents Marie Zecca, who collected boxes of things from various campus departments and delivered them to the charter school, located in the Port Richmond area of  Northeast Philadelphia on October 26.

“They actually said it felt like Christmas in our classroom,” Douglas said.

Holy Family University prepares hundreds of students each year to become educators and to advance and/or specialize in the field of education. According to 2011-12 University data, more than 930 students were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate education programs at Holy Family University.

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Holy Family University is a premier Catholic university of the liberal arts and professions with a main campus in Northeast Philadelphia and locations in Bensalem and Newtown, Pennsylvania. It has been recognized for providing outstanding undergraduate and graduate academic programs and professional career development in a faith-inspired, values-centered community. Founded in 1954 by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Holy Family University offers purpose-driven, engaged students the knowledge, values, and skills to help them find their place and purpose in today’s workplace and world.