By Maggie Edwards 

Eighty-five elementary-age students filled the Southern Union State Community College (SUSCC) Wadley campus in June eager for an enriching early college experience. 

The institution’s Kids Kollege summer camp welcomes first through sixth graders and has become a staple in the area, said SUSCC’s Shondae Brown. 

“We look at this as community outreach,” said Brown, the SUSCC publications director. “The team at Southern Union wants as many people as possible to be on the campus. Our goal is to give them a taste of what it’s like to be a student here. We structure classes where professors instruct participants and show them subjects they would learn in college.”

Each year, Kids Kollege has a theme for the week-long program to teach new and innovative ideas. The 2025 theme was Ag in Action, Brown said. 

“It’s important students realize how vital farmers are to our existence,” Brown said. “They can’t just go to the grocery and get eggs and milk. That comes from somewhere. The theme resonated with a lot of the kids being from a rural area, but it was nice to introduce different areas of agriculture to them and show how farmers sustain our lives.” 

Farming was on display in art, science, dance and music classes. An on-campus Farm Day allowed for hands-on experience. 

Local farmers volunteered, while representatives from The Dairy Alliance and Alabama Forestry Commission focused on interactive lessons.  

The Hodnett family of Tallapoosa County promoted pork and exhibited swine during the event. 

“It’s important for us to share insights to the swine industry because young people today are growing up without a connection to where food comes from,” said Jody Hodnett, who works at SUSCC and is a member of the Alabama Farmers Federation State Pork Committee. “Events like Kids Kollege give us the chance to educate children and spark interest in agriculture while correcting misconceptions.” 

Randolph County Young Farmers (RCYF) members Jake and Sheena Gay were vital to the Farm Day, too. 

“The RCYF’s involvement was to provide the children an unforgettable experience learning about agriculture,” the couple said. “Everyone is involved in agriculture at least three times a day. It’s important for these kids to know someone grows their meals — and even their clothes.”

Students also loaded onto charter buses to experience farm life at Blue Ribbon Dairy in Elmore County. 

Attendees witnessed the milking process with dairy owner Michaela Sanders Wilson, made butter and tasted farm-fresh ice cream. 

“We hope their experience in Kids Kollege is so memorable they will want to come back and be a Southern Union Bison,” Brown said. “Our records show that almost 60% of all students who attend Kids Kollege later attend Southern Union in some form. We’re happy to provide this opportunity and appreciate the support of the SUSCC Alumni Association, SUSCC employees and community members.”