College Support Programs

How to Plan Your Career or College Pathway

November 12, 2024

Planning a career or college pathway is not easy. While this book is only 128 pages, many teachers and counselors have concerns that there is too much reading and the concepts are too difficult for middle school and high school students to grasp. While I understand such concerns, my experience is that students are not only capable, but are receptive to the guidance being provided in this book. I recently spoke to classes of 9th grade students at a high school in Columbia, South Carolina where I asked students in each class to write a narrative response to the question, “What are your dreams and aspirations after high school?”

While there were many students who failed to write anything, and other students who only wrote one or two sentences about becoming rich or becoming a professional basketball or football player, there were a good number of students in each class who wrote introspective and self-reflective narratives.

“My dream is to become a choreographer at my own dance studio. It has been a dream that I have had since I was young. I am willing to put in whatever it takes to achieve my dream, no matter what. I love dancing, which has been my passion since I took my first steps.”

“My dream is to become a veterinarian and to own my own veterinarian clinic. I recognize that I have to overcome obstacles that I have in math and science. Today, after writing about my dreams and considering the obstacles, I now know the importance of working more closely with my math and science teachers who can help better prepare me for college.”

“My dream is to enlist in the Navy and pursue the Nursing Corps option. However, prior to today, I hadn’t thought about how I would actually achieve my dream. Now I know that to pursue the Navy Nursing Option, I will need to research each of the colleges that offer the NROTC Scholarship, and that have nursing programs. I will also need to know the type of academic performance I will need throughout high school to qualify for the scholarship. All in all, I now know that having a dream requires a lot more than just talking about your dreams!”

“My dream is to become a legendary comic book creator, artist, author, director, and horror film creator. My inspiration is Stephen King and Eiichiro Oda. My favorite kind of horror is Analog Horror, which depicts themes of VHS tapes and old school cartoons/movies.”

At the end of each class, students remained behind asking questions about what they could do to pursue their dreams. We talked about the available career pathways at their school, the type of classes they should take, and how to build their résumés to make themselves competitive job, college, or scholarship applicants. During the discussion about grades, every student acknowledged that they were not earning the grades of which they were capable. They were not engaging in their classes as well as they could. They were not studying at home or preparing for tests as well as they could. These students were repeatedly, and consistently, acknowledging that their work ethic was not aligned with their career aspirations.

I raised another question, “Why aren’t you doing the things that are consistent with [following] your dreams?” The common response was that they had not made a connection between what they were doing in school today and the future they dreamed of having for themselves.

My final question prior to the students leaving was, “If I wrote a book providing step-by-step guidance as to how to maximize the available choices in your school or school district to follow your dreams, would you read it?” Not only did every student respond, “Yes!” It was the look in their eyes that they wanted someone to help them to plan their way toward their dreams.

The students who will benefit most from this book are students who either have aspirations for the future, or want to identify the type of career pathways in which they can earn a living and enjoy the work. If you are such a student, but find the reading difficult, then read a few pages at a time and begin with the chapters that reflect your aspirations the most. If your career pathway is not covered in the book, then focus on the basic information about how to choose your middle school and high school classes and how to take maximum advantage of the CTE/CTAE or college prep classes available in your school or school district.

The table above lists the 16 career clusters reflected in The National Career Clusters Framework, which serves as an organizing tool for CTE programs. The clusters represent 79 different career pathways. If you are entering, or have already entered high school through one of these career clusters, then focus your efforts on taking the Interest Profiler presented in the chapter, “What Are Your Interests?” to confirm that your chosen pathway is aligned with your interests.

Maximizing the opportunities during middle school and high school to explore career clusters or CTE/CTAE classes, especially those reflective of your gifts, talents, and interests can provide important considerations for the career or educational pathway you choose to pursue after high school, which should help determine the classes that you take during high school.

The important consideration is that any of these career clusters can lead to pathways into the workforce, military, or college. Regardless of the career cluster you choose, you will have options of multiple career and occupational opportunities within a career cluster, such as technician, teacher, scientist, or veterinarian, as well as pursuing a workplace certification, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or MD/PhD. Your choice provides your context for learning.

For every student who has dreams and aspirations for the future, even if you do not know what that future looks like, I have written this book with you in mind. I have also written, “Career or College Pathway: Individual Graduation Plan,” providing further guidance in planning and tracking a pathway toward your dreams for your future.

Student Profile – Omar Dixon, Jr.

May 1, 2022

Student Profile

Jocelyne L. (St. Petersburg High School)

Hello, I’m Jocelyne. I serve on the youth leadership board with Omar, a high school junior from Paulding County, Georgia. Omar is the Social Media Manager for our program. He is an incredibly hard worker and is having an incredible college-bound journey. He joined the cohort program as a high school freshman after reading an article about Kimberly Hadaway, a College Planning Cohort alumni who graduated from his high school. He thought that it was amazing that she had been offered 6 full scholarships to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. However, what caught his eye in the article was that Kimberly, like himself, was a student of color from a single-parent, lower income family. He believed that if a student like him earn multiple full college scholarships, that he too, could seize the opportunity.

Kimberly’s story inspired him and her accomplishments motivated him to join the cohort and to commit himself to following all of the guidance offered by Mr. and Mrs. Wynn—after all, they were the experts who guided Kimberly. One of the first messages that resonated with him was that colleges are looking for more than just grades and test scores, so he committed himself to pursuing leadership opportunities and engaging in meaningful community service. He served as a College Planning Cohort intern and discussion group leader before applying for a position on the youth leadership board. He immediately had a community impact on the board through his mentorship of other first generation students and as a content creator for several video projects.

The projects that Omar has worked on have not only benefitted others and expanded the community outreach of the program, but have given him opportunities to, in his words,

Develop a ‘body of work’ to which I can refer in essays and interview that distinguish me from other applicants.” Clearly, the community impact that he has had through his leadership and service in our program has not gone unnoticed. He has been selected as a Yale Young Global Scholar, QuestBridge Scholar, and most recently, a LEDA Scholar. In his perspective: “It has been a mind blowing experience for me because it just shows that all the goals I set in 9th grade, and the pathway that I have taken due to the helpful, insightful, and crucial guidance from Mr. and Mrs. Wynn have come to fruition.”

Omar’s story is more than a success story, it is a story of believing that the example that Kimberly provided for him, that through his success, he can provide such an example from other students. Omar notes,

The cohort curriculum is full of the success stories of other students and provides a roadmap to the type of classes, grades, test scores, leadership, and service that can lead to full college scholarships. Rather than looking at these incredible students and saying, ‘I can’t be like them,’ everyone student should say, ‘Thank you for showing me the type of student that I should become if I want to be awarded a full college scholarship!

I believe that Omar has followed Kimberly’s example and that he is providing an example for others to follow. As Mr. and Mrs. Wynn frequently say, “Trust the Process.” I am inspired by how his incredible perseverance, and the cohort’s guidance, have driven him to be intentional in his actions to become a scholar in multiple prestigious programs. While Omar joined the program in hopes of being offered at least one full scholarship, he is now on a pathway to multiple full scholarship opportunities. We look forward to a followup article about Omar’s journey this time next year!

As a current 9th grader, I am looking forward to sharing my own college-bound story in 2024. However, as the president of the youth leadership board, I am looking forward to submitting articles about our many cohort students and their accomplishments. Like my older sister, I am not only grateful to be participating in a program that is guiding us along pathways to full college scholarships, but supporting and encouraging us to grow into leaders who seek to have a community impact.

Watch this space…I’m Jocelyne

On Her Way to Johns Hopkins

March 31, 2022

On Her Way to Johns Hopkins

Jocelyne L. (St. Petersburg High School)

Hello, I’m Jocelyne. I would like to tell you about my older sister, Joanne. My sister, a senior in the IB Program at St. Petersburg High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, has been offered admission, together with a full scholarship, to Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins is one of the most selective schools in the US and is ranked #9 on the US News and World Reports National University Rankings (tied with Northwestern). Not only is Johns Hopkins her top choice school (where she will major in biology), but the scholarship is a huge blessing for our family. The only things not covered by her scholarship are indirect costs, such as travel expenses and personal expenses.

My sister became involved in the cohort in her sophomore year after hearing me go on and on about how wonderful the program was. At the time, I was in the 7th grade and had just completed the Pinellas County Schools College Planning Boot Camp for Middle School Students. As a seventh grader, I could not join a cohort, but she could—and she did!

In interviewing her for this article, she noted,

Through my participation in the cohort, I learned so many things that I would not have learned anywhere else such as the differences between liberal arts colleges and research universities, where I should apply Early Decision versus Regular Decision, and the financial aid policies of all of my top choice colleges. Knowing that Emory, Rice, Stanford, Duke, UPenn, and the University of Chicago would have all offered comparable institutional scholarships, there was no need to apply regular decision to ‘see if I could get in’ when I had a clear top choice—Johns Hopkins. So after being offered admission, via Early Decision to Johns Hopkins, I withdrew all of my other applications.

My sister also mentioned that the information regarding financial aid, The Net Price Calculator, and how different colleges had different financial aid policies, provided clear guidance as to the colleges with the best financial aid policies for students from lower income families. As she researched and learned, she was able to create a plan personalized for her that helped with the next steps when applying for the college of her choice. Not only did the information provided through the online curriculum greatly expand her understanding of the college admission and financial aid processes, but she received amazing support from fellow cohort members, advisors, mentors, and alumni. Some of the college interns—Sydney Soskin (University of Chicago), Peyton Wilson (George Washington), and Loren Tsang (Williams College—to name a few, supported her in the process as they helped her understand the college admissions process and figure out if the college of her choice was a good balance between her aspirations and the educational opportunities offered. With their advice and answers to her questions, my sister was able to discover that Johns Hopkins was truly the college meant for her. However, prior to arriving at this realization, she had to figure out what type of college she wanted to pursue. The cohort provided insight into the nuances between liberal arts colleges and research universities, and which type of school provided the best fit to her body of work and benefited her the most with their opportunities. When she opened the email, “Congratulations, we are pleased to offer you admission to the Johns Hopkins University Class of 2026”my sister’s friends and our family were delighted to hear the great news. Although, we were not surprised, we were incredibly proud and amazed with the scholarship of $280,000 over four years!

I asked my sister what she would say to Mr. and Mrs. Wynn, the creators of the College Planning Cohort Program, and to Dr. Lewis Brinson, the Pinellas County Schools Minority Achievement Officer who brought the program to our school district:

Thank you so very much, your help has been a huge part of my college planning process and I would not have made it this far without you. Not only did you help me apply to college, but you helped me grow as a person!

Watch this space…I’m Jocelyne

Golden Door Scholars

January 9, 2018

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DACA STUDENTS

Undocumented students may incorrectly assume that they cannot legally attend college in the United States. There is no federal law that prohibits the admission of undocumented immigrants to U.S. colleges, public or private. However, there are certain obstacles that stand in the way of these students’ path to higher education

Tuition

In many states, public institutions treat undocumented students as international students. What does that mean for you? You may be ineligible for state aid and in-state tuition.
Click here to see policies on in-state tuition for undocumented students by state. Scholarships for undocumented students and DACA scholarships are difficult to find, but not impossible.

Source: http://www.ncsl.org/

Financial Aid

Undocumented students cannot legally receive any federally-funded student financial aid, including loans, grants and scholarships. However, some private scholarships for undocumented students, like Golden Door Scholars, do not require students to be U.S. citizens or residents.
The following organizations have scholarships for undocumented students and DACA scholarships:

Applications open in September of each year

Do I have to have DACA or TPS to apply?

Yes. In addition to providing college access, Golden Door Scholars supports professional experiences. Applicants must be eligible to participate in paid internships. All scholars are required to be approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) before scholarship funds are released.

Do I have to be a NC/SC resident?

No, Golden Door Scholars takes applications from all over the country. However, strong priority is given to students from states that charge out-of-state tuition to DACAmented students.

Do I have to be a current high school student to apply?

No. Recent high school graduates, currently enrolled undergrad, and transfer students are also welcome to apply.

However, we do not support funding for Graduate Schools.

Can this scholarship be applied toward graduate school?

No. Golden Door Scholarships may only be applied to undergraduate degree programs.

Are scholars expected to maintain a minimum GPA in college?

Yes, all scholars are expected to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA each semester.

Do I have to go to a partner school?

While most of our students attend Golden Door partner schools, we support students at other accredited 4-year institutions on a case-by-case basis. We are also always developing relationships at new partner schools.

What qualifications does a typical Golden Door Scholar have?

DACA qualified
Lives in a state that doesn’t allow in-state tuition for DACA students
High GPA
Taking advanced or challenging high school classes
Driven to excel and help others succeed too
Has held leadership positions or is involved in the community
Has applied for a variety of scholarships

When does the scholarship start?

Golden Door scholarship recipients will begin receiving support in the Fall semester.

The Simpson Promise

November 13, 2017

If you thought attending Simpson was out of reach, we’ve got great news for you!

The Simpson Promise offers you the chance to obtain the excellent educational benefits and life-changing campus experience of Simpson College at a price you can afford.

The Simpson Promise covers the full cost of tuition (inclusive of Simpson, federal and state gift assistance) for qualified students from Iowa families with a 2016 family adjusted gross income at or below $60,000.

A lot of people talk about making college affordable. Simpson is doing something about it with this bold new initiative.

Don’t qualify for The Simpson Promise? We have something else for you! click here

To be eligible for The Simpson Promise, you must:

Be an Iowa resident – 2018 graduate of an Iowa high school
Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no later than July 1, 2018, and be eligible for federal aid
Reside on campus
Have a 2016 family adjusted gross income at or below $60,000
Be a full-time, accepted, incoming first-year student

Simpson is committed to providing the grant/scholarship amount awarded to the student in their first year, for all four years at Simpson, provided they are in good academic standing and complete the FAFSA. Students are responsible for the costs of room, board, and fees.

The Simpson Promise represents our dedication to the success of our students. It is, in fact, the heart of our mission, and it has been that way since we were founded 157 years ago.

Summer Programs at George Mason

November 11, 2017

Youth Leadership Conferences

Mason is excited to partner with the following student leadership conferences to offer outstanding high school and university scholars the opportunity to participate in the following experiences for elective college credit.

Envision Career & Leadership Programs
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Program (HOBY)
Washington Journalism and Media Conference
Washington Youth Summit on the Environment

These programs have been approved by our faculty, and students who qualify can receive college credit for “Special Topics in Leadership.” Scholars enrolled in 4- to 8-day programs earn one (1) college credit, while programs that run 9 days or longer are eligible for two (2) college credits. This is elective Mason credit and generally transfers to other four-year colleges and universities, but we recommend that students and parents check with the college/university they are applying to or attending if they are interested in how the credit would apply.

General Information

How are students selected?

Students are selected to represent their school and state through our academic partnerships. Nominations may be made by high school educators or students are identified by George Mason University through information we receive about students interests and/or academic ability through college entrance exams, or through data from NRCCUA (National Research Center for College and University Administrators), which conduct high school interest/career surveys. Educators are invited to fill out a nomination form for any of our student leadership opportunities and students will be contacted to confirm their nomination.

How are students evaluated?

The course, Special Topics in Leadership is a “Pass/Fail” course and students are evaluated based on their experiential learning opportunities throughout the week. Conference faculty will monitor their active participation in simulations, contributions to discussions and demonstration of leadership and critical thinking skills in group and individual settings. Students will receive feedback on their progress throughout the conference.

How do I enroll in Mason college credit?

Scholars must “opt in” and apply for the elective credit by contacting the conference Office of Admissions and completing the online enrollment application, as well as answering the required questions on the Student Information Form. This must be done no later than the end of the second day of the program session. Students enrolling for credit must be capable of doing college-level work and have completed the 9th grade at the time of the program. Students are asked to provide a self-reported GPA and complete the required questions and student leadership essay prior to conference participation. Tuition is $100.00 for one (1) credit and $200.00 for two (2) credits. Payment will be made to the specific conference. Students who do not meet the requirements for college credit will be refunded the credit tuition amount

HBCU Bridge Scholarship

August 22, 2016

What is the HBCU Bridge Scholarship?

It is a merit-based scholarship for exceptional students from select HBCUs* who have completed their BA or BS degree. Selected students are invited to study at the University of Chicago for one academic year (three quarters).
The Graham School intends to award up to 10 HBCU Bridge Scholarships for the 2016-17 academic year.
Students may select from two study tracks: Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters, or Winter, Spring, and Summer Quarters.
Students will be awarded full tuition scholarships for a maximum of six courses, enrolling in up to two per quarter.
Students may take either undergraduate or graduate courses in the following divisions and schools: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Divinity, Public Policy, Social Service Administration, Law, and Booth School of Business.
Students may not enroll in courses through the Pritzker School of Medicine.
Students who successfully complete the HBCU Scholarship Program will receive a University of Chicago transcript. Why are we offering this scholarship?
The goal is to provide exemplary HBCU alumni with an opportunity to explore new fields of study or delve deeper into academic areas of interest. The scholarships will provide substantive academic experience towards eventual applications to graduate or professional schools.
By inviting these exemplary HBCU alumni to engage in courses on our campus, we aim to support the University of Chicago’s mission to foster a culture of diversity and innovation.
Introduced in Autumn 2015, seven inaugural HBCU Bridge scholars are currently studying Business, Law, Human Rights, Public Policy, Psychology and Gender Studies. What are the scholarship qualifications?
Applicants must have a BA or BS degree at time of matriculation.
Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be considered. What are the academic requirements while in the program?
Applicants must complete at least one course per quarter at the “B” grade level or above to remain in the program.
Applicants experiencing extenuating circumstances and requiring a Leave of Absence for one quarter or more must continue to work closely with the Program Director and the Dean of Students if they wish to continue in the program.

Wells Fargo Opportunities for Future Leaders

October 7, 2014

Investment Banking / Sales & Trading

You’re invited to apply to the Wells Fargo Securities Freshman Finance Forum — an event for top freshman undergraduate students in any major who are interested in exploring a career in business and learning about the variety of opportunities within the financial services industry.

What to expect:

Learn about Wells Fargo Securities (WFS), the financial services industry, and careers in investment banking and sales & trading
Meet with senior management and WFS professionals
Participate in information sessions, panels, and networking events

Conference Dates and Location:

Charlotte, NC: March 10-11, 2016

All travel and meal expenses will be paid by Wells Fargo.

Qualifications

The program is open to all freshman inclusive of minorities, females, protected veterans, people with disabilities and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) pursuing a bachelor’s degree in any major with an expected graduation by December 2018, or May/June 2019

College Sophomores and Juniors

When you start your career with a Wells Fargo undergraduate program, you’ll start laying the foundation for your future success while developing professional skills you can’t learn in the classroom.

Each program is designed to support your development. That’s why they all include exclusive training and networking opportunities, exposure to Wells Fargo’s top leaders, mentoring, and coaching, and more. You’ll work alongside experienced team members and experience first-hand what Wells Fargo offers our clients, and our team members.

Explore your future and contact us if you’d like to learn more.

College Seniors

When you start your career with a Wells Fargo undergraduate program, you’ll develop your professional skills faster than you might with a typical job out of college.

Each program is designed to support your development, and help set you up for success in your transition from academic life to the business world. That’s why each program includes exclusive training and networking opportunities, exposure to Wells Fargo’s top leaders, mentoring, and coaching, and more. You’ll work alongside experienced team members to see what Wells Fargo offers our clients, and our team members.

Explore your future, and let us know if you’d like to learn more.

Harvey Mudd College Fall Fast Program

March 1, 2014

Future Achievers in Science and Technology (FAST)

September and November

The Future Achievers in Science and Technology (FAST) programs offer high school seniors from populations that are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) an opportunity to experience Harvey Mudd College.

Participants of FAST will stay overnight in one of our residence halls, take a campus tour, sit in on classes, complete an interview with the Office of Admission, participate in a hands-on computer science workshop and much more. There will also be discussions on admission policies, financial aid opportunities, campus resources and the benefits of pursuing a technical degree at a liberal arts college.

The FAST Program is free to all participants and includes lodging, meals and travel accommodations (if applicable). Participants will also receive a fee waiver for a Harvey Mudd College freshman application. If you have questions about the program, you can contact Assistant Director of Admission Maureen Ruiz-Sundstrom at mruizsundstrom@hmc.edu.

ACT College Readiness 2012: African Americans

July 9, 2013

Why focus on demographically identifiable subgroups?

One of the challenges in my work with schools, faith-based organizations, and community agencies is to get them to take a holistic view of student achievement within the context of demographically identifiable subgroups. By this, I mean raising the question, “How are students from our ‘demographic group’ faring in their journey from kindergarten through college?” The question itself provides a much more salient focus than does national high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, student loan rates, and student performance. As Ministry Leaders for the Education Ministry at the Turner Chapel AME Churchin Marietta, Georgia, my wife and I must concern ourselves with how students like the students who attend our church are doing in their journey from kindergarten into college and careers. To do anything else would cloud our judgment and shift our focus from the challenges that are unique to their demographic group.

From the ACT report, “African American Students, The Condition of College & Career Readiness: Class of 2012” we learn that among 2012 high school graduates who took the ACT college entrance examination, the following reflected the percentage of all students who met the ACT college readiness benchmarks in the four subject-areas tested:

67 percent of all students met the benchmark in English
52 percent of all students met the benchmark in Reading
46 percent of all students met the benchmark in Mathematics
31 percent of all students met the benchmark in Science

While the percentage of all students meeting the college-readiness benchmarks may be disappointing, the percentage of African American meeting the benchmarks is tragic. Of the 222,237 African American high school seniors taking the ACT, there was as much as a three-fold gap in their performance and that of students from other demographic groups with only 5 percent of African American students meeting the college-readiness benchmarks in all four subject areas. As evidenced by the illustration below, it is critically important for students, parents, teachers, institutions, and organizations to take demographic subgroup performance data into consideration when determining the scope of what must be done (whether as an individual student choosing to participate in a study group, a parent choosing to enroll their child in tutoring, or an organization choosing to initiate a college/career readiness program).

What it Means and What We Must Do

Demographic subgroup data should:

Sensitize students to how students from their demographic subgroup are performing in comparison to other students
Provide a catalyst for conversations between teachers and parents concerned with intervention
Guide organizations concerned with subgroup performance (i.e., faith-based institutions, sororities, fraternities, and community-based organizations) in developing initiatives and focusing their outreach efforts

A Working Model

National and local subgroup performance data (i.e., SAT/ACT scores, high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, AP course enrollment, performance on state testing and end-of-course exams, and student loan debt) have been the driving force behind our work in the Turner Chapel AME Church’s Education Ministry. The types of initiatives we have implemented in response to such demographic subgroup data provides a model for other institutions and organizations concerned with the plight of the students and families they serve.

Information Workshops

The workshops that we provide sensitize students and parents to the tragically low K-12 student performance of African American students. Through the plethora of published research, we are able to paint a clear picture of performance outcomes for African American students during their P-16 journey from elementary school through college graduation. While the data is tragic for the entire group, only 10 percent of African American males are proficient in reading by 8th grade.

Beyond the raw data are research studies pertaining to the “anti-intellectual” peer culture many African American students find themselves confronted with where it is not cool to be black and smart. However, with over 60 percent of African American ACT-test takers enrolling into a postsecondary institution following their high school graduation, there is a very important context to frame all of this data in discussions with parents and their children,

“Only 5 percent of African American students are college-ready,
while 60 percent of African American students are pursuing college!
Subsequently, rather than languishing over the 95 percent
who are not college-ready at the end of 12th grade,
let’s focus on what we must do for the 60 percent
who are going to enter college! Placing the data into
such a context can lead to some very remarkable initiatives.”

Training Workshops

While the information workshops serve as a catalyst for parents and students to accept a proactive role in closing the gap between African American students and other subgroups, the training workshops provide the necessary guidance in closing the gap and expanding students’ college options. By drawing on the immense college knowledge and professional capacity of our church members, we offer workshops in essay writing, résumé development, interviewing, course planning, leadership, community service, choosing right summer camps, marketing students to top colleges, college and scholarship research, and college application packaging.

Academic Celebrations

In much the way as other communities make a big deal about athletic competitions, we make a big deal about academic achievement. We publicly acknowledge students in grades K – 12 who earn a 3.0 GPA or higher through 2 bi-annual academic celebrations. Students earn an academic achievement medal, their names are printed in the church bulletin, they are publicly acknowledged via a PowerPoint presentation, their names are publicly called before the entire congregation, and they are publicly celebrated in a reception held in their honor.

Tutoring

To ensure that students who are inspired to do better can, and students who are doing well have the opportunity to pursue even more rigorous course work, we offer tutoring in math and reading.

CRCT Prep

To ensure that students in grades 3 – 8 are able to perform successfully on Georgia’s Criterion Referenced Content Tests, we offer two months of test prep sessions in reading and math.

The Next Episode

In response to well publicized research pertaining to the “college knowledge gap,” which indicates that many African American students and families lack sufficient information pertaining to college planning, college readiness, and college access, we work monthly with high school juniors and seniors guiding them through the college planning and financial aid processes. Through these efforts we have students who have been recognized as Gates Millennium Scholars, Posse Foundation Scholars, and have received full need-based and merit-based scholarships to some of America’s best colleges and universities.

College Fair

To ensure that students are exposed to the full spectrum of colleges and universities, we host an annual college fair where some 50 colleges and universities from local technical schools to some of the country’s most highly selective colleges and universities are represented. Over 2500 students and parents annually have the opportunity to expand their understanding of what it takes to be admitted and what level of student performance is required to be college ready.

College Panel Discussion

We host an annual college discussion panel of current college students from a broad range of public, private, technical schools, military service academies, selective, and highly selective colleges and universities who provide candid insight into how they got admitted, what they have to do to be successful, how much support their institution provide, the differences between PWIs and HBCUs, and what they wish they had done differently while attending high school.

College Tour

Beyond the college fair where students see brochures and listen to recruiters, we ensure that students are able to visit campuses and speak to admission officers face-to-face to further assist students in understanding what is required to be college ready and to be competitive in the college admissions process.

11th and 12th Grade College and Financial Aid Planning Cohorts

Our newest initiative is to work hands-on with 11th and 12th grade students and their parents to ensure that students are college ready, understand the many financial aid options and opportunities, and guided toward the right college choices based on each student’s unique need, gifts, talents, and circumstances.

High School Graduation Celebration

The annual high school graduation celebration provides a formal and very public opportunity to highlight where students have been accepted into college, how much money students have received in scholarships and institutional grants, and how successful students have been in their K-12 performance to ensure they are college ready.

All of these initiatives are in response to demographic subgroup data. Each initiative is led by a parent, educator, counselor, minister, or student who has accepted a role in increasing student outcomes. While anyone can look at student performance data and point the blame at schools, teachers, students, or families—it takes very special people to accept a personal role in changing outcomes. I believe that such special people exist within each church, fraternity, sorority, school, and community. Please contact us if you would like us to show you how to get started.

Visit our Facebook Page: Turner Chapel AME Education Ministry