On Friday, Sept. 25, 300 Randolph County third graders were college students for a day through Randolph County Promise’s “Walk Into My Future” program.
For nearly a decade, “Walk Into My Future” has connected elementary students with the possibility of higher education with a day spent on IU East’s campus. The program aims to lower the trend of rural-area students not continuing postsecondary studies at a four-year university or technical school.
Randolph County Promise is an initiative supported by the Community Foundation of Randolph County.
“We’re blessed to be part of that program and seem to be the only ones in the area to get this opportunity,” said Linda Wood, Randolph County Promise coordinator. Wood has been with Promise for three years. She previously served as Randolph Eastern School Corporation’s director of human resources for 31 years.
Wood explained that parents are notified about the annual trip within the first two weeks of school. After collecting permission slips and photo release forms, the students are bussed to IU East in Richmond. An orientation event in the Student Activities Center with a special appearance by the school mascot, Rufus the Wolf, welcomes the students. Students are then assigned a IUE student leader that guides them to each activity throughout the day.
Wood said highlights of the day include an anatomy course and a physical activity involving a parachute. Students also partake in songwriting with Jerry Wilde, IUE’s dean of the School of Education. Wilde grabs his guitar and writes a song with the students that they later perform.
“For 10 years, IU East has had the pleasure of welcoming third-grade students from Randolph County to campus,” Wilde told WWN. “Surrounded by our faculty, staff and students, they get to experience college firsthand. We hope the day plants a seed and shows them that life-changing opportunities are right in their own backyard.”
Wood sees the impact on students who recall their college day experience years later, when the idea of continuing their education is closer to reality.
Randolph County Promise is an early scholarship program for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The Foundation deposits $25 in students’ accounts. As they progress through school, they can earn funds by meeting certain incentives, including reading programs and extracurricular activities. Once they graduate high school, those funds can go toward furthering their education.
For more information, visit randolphcountyfoundation.org/promise.
A version of this article appeared in the October 7 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
