Newsletter: May 1, 2021
Mychal Wynn (Northeastern ’79)
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May 1, 2021 College Planning Cohort NewsToday is College Signing Day for over a million high school seniors. While many of our cohort seniors may be participating in signing day ceremonies at their high school, we will announce the colleges and universities that our seniors will be attending at our final cohort meeting of the 2020-21 school year on Saturday, May 8, 2021. What a year! Despite the many challenges presented by the global pandemic and the huge personal challenges experienced by many of our students and families, our students demonstrated great resilience. As illustrated above, our Class of 2021 will be attending a broad range of colleges and universities and receiving over $5 million in scholarships. During our Saturday, May 8, final cohort session of the 2020-21 school year, we will be hosting a special presentation announcing the final college choices of our Class of 2021 and offering a special thank you to our College Interns and Discussion Group Leaders who have volunteered their time to provide support, guidance, and encouragement to our middle school and high school students throughout the 2020-21 school year. Whitney Williams — Market Madness WinnerCongratulations to Whitney Williams, a member of our church who serves as one of our college interns, is a student in the Honors Program at Spelman College. Whitney and her 5-member Spelman College team won the $1 million first place prize in the Goldman Sachs Market Madness: HBCU Possibilities Program. Teams from 8 HBCUs (Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University and Prairie View A&M University) competed in a case-study competition. In addition to the $1 million donation to Spelman College, each student received a $10,000 education stipend. Faith Kumi – 2021 Ron Brown ScholarCongratulations to Atlanta-area cohort and Marietta High School IB Program senior, Faith Kumi, who has been selected as a 2021 Ron Brown Scholar. Faith is only 1 of 45 students nationally selected from over 4,000 applicants to be awarded the $40,000 scholarship. Faith, who has been in our college planning cohort program since her sophomore year of high school is our first Ron Brown Scholar and will be attending the University of Chicago in the fall. Joanne Lioe – 2021 QuestBridge College Prep ScholarCongratulations to Pinellas County Schools cohort junior, Joanne Lioe, who has been selected as a 2021 QuestBridge College Prep Scholar. Joanne, who attends the IB Program at St. Petersburg High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, has volunteered to serve as a discussion group leader and intern for our summer college planning boot camps. | |||||||||||||
Summer Intern OpportunityWe are elated that Sydney Soskin, a member of our 2020 Pinellas County Schools Cohort, current Discussion Group Leader, and University of Chicago student, will serve as our 2021 College and High School Intern Program Coordinator. Students interested in serving as a College Planning Cohort Intern for one or more of our summer college planning boot camps should email: cpc@collegeplanningcohort.com | |||||||||||||
Boot Camp ScheduleRegistration is now opened for our middle school and high school summer college planning boot camps: June 7 – 10 (9:00 am – 1:00 pm): 4-day all-virtual boot camp for high school seniors. Click here to register… June 14 – 18 (8:30 am – 2:30 pm): 5-day in-person boot camp for McKinney-Vento Students in Judson ISD (TX). Contact Sylvia Greenwood (sgreenwood@judsonisd.org). Limited to 40 students. June 21 – 25 (8:30 am – 2:30 pm): 5-day in-person boot camp for Military Connected Students in Judson ISD (TX). Contact Sylvia Greenwood (sgreenwood@judsonisd.org). Limited to 40 students. July 12 – 15 (9:00 am – 1:00 pm): 4-day all-virtual boot camp for high school students in grades 9 – 11. Click here to register… July 19 – 22 (9:00 am – 1:00 pm): 4-day all-virtual boot camp for middle school students in grades 7 – 8. Click here to register… Senior Registration is Now OpenHigh school seniors may now register for our 2021-22 High School Senior Classroom. Registered students will have the option of attending our June 7 – 10 high school senior boot camp where they can finalize their college application and scholarship plans. Students will continue into our June, July, and August monthly sessions where they will be guided in finalizing college application strategies, essays, and selecting their college admission cycles. New students: click here to register…; Returning students: click here to register… (Note: Registration fees for Pinellas County Schools and Florence School District 3 students are paid for by the school district. ) Essay Writing Workshop SeriesWith the huge increase in applications to selective colleges where many of our students were offered admission, now, more than ever, a student’s essays can be the difference between being offered admission and receiving a rejection letter! We are excited to introduce a 4-part Essay Writing Workshop series, developed and presented by Mychal-David Wynn, a certified college counselor and graduate of Amherst College (BA English). The sessions are not part of our normal program and require a separate registration and are opened to all students. The 4-part series will be presented from 9:00 am – Noon, during each Saturday in June (5, 12, 19, and 26). The 4-part series will be repeated in July (10, 17, 24, and 31). The goal is for participating students to emerge from the sessions with a Common Application Essay, supplemental essay, or scholarship essay. Topics will cover:
Students will have their essays fully reviewed and edited. Click here to purchase your registration or Email cpc@collegeplanningcohort.com to reserve your space. Space is Limited. May Meeting Schedule | |||||||||||||
Monthly Meeting Schedule: The second Saturday of each month. | |||||||||||||
Florence School District 3 May Sessions (5:00 pm – 6:30 pm): (Click here to register; Meeting ID 894 9627 2665). Tuesday/Thursday; May 4 – 27. May 8, 2021 (9:00 am – 11:00 am): 9th and 10th Grades (Click here to register; Meeting ID: 838 2462 4377). Students will present their April final presentations in their Discussion Group. May 8, 2021 (10:00 am – 12:30 pm): 11th and 12th Grades (Click here to register; Meeting ID: 843 9332 9122). Juniors will meet briefly in their discussion groups to present their April presentations. At 11:30 am, we will share a presentation acknowledging our graduating seniors and appreciation for our discussion group leaders. Join a CohortASA Guide Kappa League Mentoring Program: Contact Doug Lucas: dlucasjr@aol.com Atlanta-area and National Cohort: Contact Mychal-David Wynn: mdwynn@accessandequity.org Pinellas County Schools: Contact Dr. Lewis Brinson, Minority Achievement Officer: brinsonle@pcsb.org Florence County School District 3: Contact Ms. Kendra Wilson, Guidance Counselor: kwilson@fsd3.org Click here to learn more about our cohorts and other programs… | |||||||||||||
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