UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 37, Page 4
July 23, 1992
Summer College; 96 students attend from U.S., Cuba, Russia, India

     Bright high school juniors and seniors are attending the
University's Summer College, through July 25, to tackle challenging
credit courses, participate in a variety of extracurricular activities
and get a taste of college life, according to Martha Collins, program
coordinator. They represent a cross-section of high school students
from different parts of the world and include a variety of cultures
and backgrounds.
     In addition to introducing students to college life, the program
highlights the University of Delaware and many students later decide
to apply, Collins said. For example, last year, of the 101 students
enrolled in Summer College, 78 applied and were accepted by the
University. Of those, 38 students came to the University, 31 of whom
were accepted into the Honors Program.
     This summer, 96 students are enrolled, whose homelands include
Russia, Cuba and India, although most come from the mid-Atlantic
states.
     Dmitriy Petluk came to the United States from Moscow in February
with his grandparents. His parents, both engineers, arrived a month
ago, and the family has settled in the Wilmington area. Interested in
science, math and computer programming, he enrolled at Concord High
School and received a diploma this June.
     Roberta Berman of the Jewish Family Center helped arrange for him
to attend Summer College with funding from the International Center
and the David Anderson Memorial Fund, in remembrance of a late Summer
College student from Concord High School. Petluk is seeking ways to
attend the University this fall.
     He had five years of English before coming to this country, but
says he really learned the language after he arrived. Petluk admits to
missing his friends in Moscow but finds his experiences here "most
interesting" and said he feels as if he fits in well.
     Trilce Valdez came to New York from Cuba a year ago. Although it
is difficult to leave Cuba legally, her father is a United States
citizen, and she was given permission to come to this country to
receive medical attention.
     She read about Delaware's Summer College and, since she wanted to
have the experience of living away from home, she came to the
University to pursue her interest in chemistry.
     Not all Summer College students travel great distances. Kelly
Ryan, who wishes to get a degree in elementary education, is from
Smyrna and decided to attend because of the course offered in child
development. She said she is having a lot of fun. "I thought most of
the people would be from Delaware, but they come from all over," she
said. Ryan said she will probably apply to the University next year.
     Summer College students select two courses out of the eight that
are offered. This year, an English course for foreign students is
available for the first time, Collins said. Outside the classroom,
events included Parents Day on July 12, and trips to New York,
Rehoboth and to a Phillies game.
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure