For many children, college is just a word they’ve heard. Not so for 500 local fifth-graders who participate in Achieve a College Education Day (ACE) at UCF.

Bigger than a field trip, the day is a game changer for the 10- and 11-year-olds who become college students for a few hours. The effect of the program on the students who attend and the Burnett Honors College freshmen who mentor and teach them can be profound. And, the students aren’t the only ones who are affected.

ACE made such an impression on UCF parent Sandra Jackson that it moved her to create the George and Sandra Jackson Fund for Civic Engagement.

“The ACE program plants the seed. If you set goals and work hard to achieve them, you too can have the opportunity to attend college,” she says.

The Jacksons’ generosity will allow 200 additional children to attend the ACE event each year, and enable 50 more UCF students to serve as volunteers for the day.

“This represents the first gift of its kind at UCF and will provide benefits to our students as well as our community partners for years to come,” says Alvin Wang, dean of the Burnett Honors College.

The ACE program was designed and developed by UCF’s Burnett Honors College in partnership with Workforce Central Florida and Orange County Public Schools’ Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program. Honors freshmen are required to teach an elementary school class in the fall and those classes are brought to campus for ACE in the spring. Nearly 140 Burnett Honors College and LEAD Scholars students participate in the ACE program.