SAN DIEGO — The Preuss School on the UCSD campus has been motivating students for 22 years. Dr. Philip Ensberg has been there getting soon-to-be first generation college students up to the task.
"Everything we do is really all about our students. It's a school for traditionally underrepresented students," Ensberg said. "To become as competitive as anybody else for admissions to the top colleges and universities in the country."
One of those students is Klarissa Valdez Garcia.
"You try something new and you want to keep on trying new and new things to figure out answers and how the results would come in," Garcia said.
Dr. Ensberg said that's done by keeping students curious.
"Try to make this an experience of valuable relevance and that's hopefully interesting and engaging to the kids," he said.
One recent project was all about fun. A Rube Goldberg machine, which set off a chain reaction and a transference of energy.
"I just want to do something bigger," Garcia said, after completing two projects.
Another student with focus is Sieyem Russom.
"I hope to go to a very good university like UCSD or UC Riverside and I would like to stay in California to be close to my family," Russom said.
And both Sieyem and Klarissa know the Preuss School can get them there.
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