My Day at JMU

A’Landa M., an eighth-grader from the Southside Club, reflects on the recent College Day trip to James Madison University

My name is A'Landa M. and I will be telling you about James Madison University.

James Madison University is a very nice college. It is my dream to go there after I graduate high school.

I’ve visited many times and every time I go, I experience something different. James Madison not only has amazing food but, they have very nice students, a pretty campus and it is just a beautiful, positive place.

A’Landa (second from left) and her fellow Ready2Win members stand in front of the James Madison statue on the Harrisonburg campus.

I went in the summer for a middle school leadership academy and was able to stay in a dorm for a week. The dorms are very clean and big and I loved staying there.

When I went with the Boys & Girls Clubs in November, we were there for the whole day. I was so excited to get to go and meet all the nice people on campus. Our group started at the Quad and got Dukes t-shirts. A person from the Admissions Office talked to us about James Madison and how to get into the school. Then, players from the baseball team gave us a tour of the campus. We got to ask the student-athletes a bunch of questions about their classes and sports and campus life. It was great learning about everything JMU has to offer to kids. After lunch at the new dining hall, we went to a really nice football game. There were so many people there and we had so much fun!

James Madison is so nice that you can write about it forever. I’m only in eighth grade, but James Madison is my dream school and I can’t wait to go there!

The College Day Experience was made possible by the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. Each year, the Ripken Foundation makes the concept of college a reality by providing a firsthand experiences on college campuses. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond has participated in the program over the last several years.