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Eddie Aviles remembers fondly when he sent in his acceptance to the University of Washington. It was only an offhand chance, he said, that he decided to attend the Future Cougars of Color Visit and Scholarship Program at Washington State University. Throughout the program, Aviles learned more about what WSU had to offer and was even interviewed for the chance to be awarded a higher scholarship.

After being introduced into the FCOC program and realizing what it had to offer, Eddie immediately called admissions at the University of Washington and terminated his acceptance and admission.

Eddie then joined the ranks of the many high school students who had participated in FCOC and therefore decided to attend Washington State University.

The number of high school students attending the Future Cougars of Color Visit and Scholarship Program at Washington State University has increased significantly from 2005 to 2011.

According to the “Visitation Attendance Trends” graph from 2005-2011, the 2005 FCOC visit turnout consisted of 88 students. Comparatively, this weekend the sixth annual FCOC visit has an expected turnout of 580 students. The program has increased its FCOC attendance by more than 500 percent. This rise in attendees is quite the morale booster for those involved in the FCOC program.

This increase can potentially be due to the incentive of a scholarship as well as all expenses paid while attending the FCOC program.

All attendees receive a $4,000 scholarship paid out at $1,000 per year. The program also includes a chance to compete for a scholarship program awarded at almost $20,000. This scholarship money could be the difference between whether a student attends WSU or not.

WSU student Ron Lo, a marketing major, attended the FCOC visit in 2008. For Lo, this experience determined his choice in a university.

“That $4,000 scholarship helped with the financial burden of college and sealed the deal for WSU as my choice college,” said Lo. “The scholarship showed that the people here really cared about me as a person rather than just another statistic.”

The FCOC program began in 2004 as a recruitment program for high-achieving students in the state of Washington. Eligible students come to WSU’s Pullman campus for a weekend visit in the spring to tour classrooms, eat in the dining centers and meet current students and faculty.

Confidential Secretary of Student Affairs George Castro said this weekend is designed to give students an introduction to the university.

“We want to make the idea of college more accessible to more people,” Castro said.

In fact, the FCOC program is mostly intended for students who may have never considered attending a university.

“The main focus of the FCOC program is not to see how many high school students we can get to attend WSU but to see how many first generation college students we can get to visit WSU,” said Castro.

To attend the FCOC visit, students must have applied for admission and scholarships by the Jan 31 deadline and have been offered admission to WSU. In order to be considered for other scholarships besides the one already offered, students must attend an interview, a group activity and a review of academic and personal achievements

The FCOC program and visits are one of the ways WSU is encouraging diversity in its student body and recognizing the changing demographics of Washington state.