Matthew Sheptoski, an assistant professor of sociology, loves working at Grambling State University, and he wants to give high school students from his former home of Miami, Florida, the opportunity to experience Grambling for themselves. While he was a social sciences teacher at Lawrence Academy Charter School in Miami-Dade County, Sheptoski does not recall seeing college recruiters from other states visiting the school. He felt a need to fill that role by encouraging students in the Miami area to look at out-of-state options like GSU.

During his first semester at Grambling, Sheptoski organized a recruiting trip to six high schools in Miami-Dade County during December 2013. He returned to five of those schools during his second recruiting trip from December 15-17, 2014, and returned with the contact information for 87 potential Gramblinites. The entire trip was completed for only $480, proving that successful recruiting trips can be done on a budget.

For Sheptoski’s next recruiting trip in December 2015, Interim President Cynthia Warrick has asked GSU alumni from the Miami area to assist students by helping them complete applications, providing them with gift cards to cover the $20 application fee, and encouraging them to apply for scholarships.