South Florida students leave for multi-state college tour

48 students from Lauderhill YMCA will look at nine schools during their Spring Break

LAUDERHILL, Fla. ā€“ Dozens of South Florida students embarked on the trip of a lifetime Friday morning-- though it got off to a somewhat bumpy start.

Nearly 50 teenagers will be spending their week of Spring Break touring nine colleges together. They gathered at the Lauderhill YMCA long before the sun rose Friday morning to catch their bus.

But while there was plenty of excitement about the days ahead-- there was no bus for them to board! Though their original departure time was 5:30 a.m., the bus did not arrive until shortly after 7 a.m.

The driver's late arrival did not damper their spirits. Many of them told Local 10's Ben Kennedy the trip is something they never thought they'd get the chance to take. Each of the students is part of a YMCA program that seeks to inspire future leaders through a nurturing after-school experience.

During the week-long tour, the students will visit:

  • Bethune-Cookman University (Daytona Beach, FL)
  • Johnson C. Smith College (Charlotte, NC)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)
  • Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
  • Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
  • Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD)
  • University of Richmond (Richmond, VA)
  • Savannah College (Savannah, GA)

The trip is sponsored by City National Bank, the Lou Church Foundation, and the City of Lauderhill.