WARREN Big green bus tour extols college

The next big challenge is getting the kids to come back after college.
WARREN -- How do you get more students interested in upper education in a state in which only 17 percent of residents have college degrees?
Tour the state in a big green bus and talk to them one by one.
That's what James Abel of the Ohio Board of Regents has been doing since January, stopping his "Ohio Success Express" and giving the students practical knowledge about education after high school.
On Monday morning, Abel parked his bus behind Warren Harding High School and made his way to the auditorium, where students heard about admissions, financial aid and the better future that a college diploma could provide them.
"If you want to go to school, there is a way," Abel told the group of 400.
He added that there are grants and scholarships to help students get over financial hurdles and study help to get them over academic ones.
Personal attention: Abel then dismissed the students into smaller groups, where he and college counselors addressed their concerns on a more individual level.
About half Harding's graduating classes typically go on to college.
State Sen. Timothy Ryan of Warren, D-32nd, who also spoke at the assembly, said that Warren is depending on its future leaders, especially in light of recent economic blows the community has taken, such as the mass layoffs at Delphi Packard and CSC.
"We need this generation of kids to really step up to bat ... they're going to make it happen for us or not. That's why we're here," he said.
Many students lack the self-esteem to believe college is an option for them, said Lataya Simmons, a senior. Many also work while in high school to help their families make ends meet.
"They think 'Why even try college when there are these other things to worry about?'" Simmons said.
In June, Simmons starts an accelerated pediatrics program at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown.
She's not alone.
Some Harding students already set on college next school year include Lauren Hawkins, who will be studying mass communications at Wright State University in Dayton.
Although Joshua Lyles hasn't decided which school he'll be attending, he knows that he wants to study child psychology and already has a couple acceptance letters to chose from.
Come home: The next big challenge is persuading these students to return to the aid of their struggling hometown when they've completed school, said Harding social studies teacher Tom Trimbur.
"If they do get an education, they leave the area," Trimbur said.
When asked whether she'd be living back in Warren after medical school, Simmons said she doesn't know.
"It depends on the opportunities ... and right now, they're not here," she said.
The "Ohio Success Express" will return to the area when it visits Ashtabula on April 25 and Youngstown on May 2.
The bus will also appear at several fairs and festivals this summer.