In the News…
U.S. Department of State Youth Programs
November 6, 2014
American Youth Leadership Program
The American Youth Leadership Program is a 3 to 4 week intensive, leadership training exchange program for U.S. high school students and adult mentors to gain firsthand knowledge of foreign cultures and collaborate on examining issues with global significance
Benjamin Franklin Summer Institutes
The Benjamin Franklin Summer Institutes are intensive academic institutes hosted by a U.S. college or university and focus on global issues, in addition to leadership and community service.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
The Congress–Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) offers American students a scholarship for an academic year in Germany. Participating students develop critical intercultural skills while learning what it is like to live and attend school in Germany.
English Access Microscholarship Program
The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) provides a foundation of English language skills to talented 14-18 year-olds from disadvantaged sectors through after-school classes and intensive summer sessions.
Future Leaders Exchange
The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program provides scholarships for high school students (ages 15-17) from Eurasia to spend an academic year in the United States, living with a family and attending an American high school.
German American Partnership Program
The German American Partnership Program (GAPP) allows groups of U.S. high school students and German secondary school students to visit a each other’s community and school. In both directions, students live with a host family.
Global Connections and Exchange
The Global Connections and Exchange (GCE) Program supports collaboration and online linkages among students, educators, and community youth leaders from U.S. and overseas secondary schools and youth organizations.
Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study Aborad
American high school students in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Abroad program spend one academic semester or year studying abroad in select countries with significant Muslim populations. Students live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about the host country’s society and values, and educate others about American culture while learning about their host country’s culture.
Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study
The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program provides scholarships to high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations to spend up to one academic year in the United States. Students live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about U.S. society and values, and educate others about their home countries and cultures.
National Security Language Initiative for Youth
National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) provides merit-based scholarships to U.S. high school students and recent graduates interested in learning less-commonly studied foreign languages overseas.
TechGirls
TechGirls is an international exchange program designed to empower young girls to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors.
The Youth Ambassadors Program brings together high school students and adult mentors from countries across the Americas to promote mutual understanding, increase leadership skills, and prepare youth to make a difference in their communities.
Exchanges are primarily from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States, but also include delegations from the United States to select countries.
Participants will engage in workshops, community service activities, team building exercises, meetings with community leaders, and home stays with American families. Upon their return home, the students apply what they have learned to implement projects that serve needs in their communities.
Youth Leadership Programs
Youth Leadership Programs foster mutual understanding, respect, and civic engagement among young Americans and their international peers. Exchanges are three to four weeks in duration and involve youth ages 15-18, and adults who work with youth.
The Fulbright Program
November 6, 2014
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
Programs include:
- Student Program
- Scholar Program
- Fulbright-Clinton Fellowships
- Fulbright-mtvU Fellowships
- Fulbright Artic
- Fulbright NEXUS
- Teacher Exchange Program
- Humphrey Program
- Fulbright-Hays Programs
Click here for more information…
Woody Brittain – Education is the Equalizer Scholarship
November 3, 2014
The Woody Brittain – Education Is the Equalizer Scholarship recognizes and cultivates outstanding young African-American students interested in science, technology and healthcare through a unique scholarship and mentoring program.
Who can participate?
African-American students in the 12th grade.
What is it?
- The Woody Brittain — Education Is the Equalizer Scholarship is a scholarship program that provides educational funding and mentoring to qualifying African-American students seeking a career in science, technology or healthcare.
- Scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate outstanding leadership,community service and academic performance.
- Scholarships are $7,500/year and are eligible for renewal for three consecutive years following the original award, subject to academic performance.
What is the timeline?
- Applications are now available. Click here for the full details. [Link to the application details]
- Applications and all components are due in January.
- Award winners are announced in the spring.
Why participate in this program?
Winners of this prestigious scholarship can opt to be a partner to a mentee/mentor relationship while in college as well as have exposure to the unique DaVita “Village” culture that has been studied by Harvard Business School and profiled in numerous publications.
Ideally, it is our hope that recipients of this scholarship award may also assist and mentor future Woody Brittain award recipients to build a growing network and lasting legacy of education, personal and professional growth, and service to the community.
Ready to apply? Here’s how:
- First, get familiar with what’s required on the application, and start gathering the components. Please be aware that all components must be completed before submitting an eligible application.
- Academic records showing a 3.0 GPA or above during 10th and 11th grades
- Personal statement
- Letters of recommendation (3)*
- Community involvement response
- Signed Release & Affidavit Form (see application details)
- Click here to download the component details. [Link to Details]
- Once you’ve gathered all the components, complete the applicant information page and attach your completed application components. All pieces must be submitted by January 16th, 2015. [Click here to submit.]
* If necessary, letters of recommendation can be sent directly to ScholarshipFoundations@davita.com
Questions? Please email ScholarshipFoundations@davita.com.
STEM Opportunities
October 31, 2014
The Emory University James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies is one of 11 higher education institutions that are partnering with Xavier University of Louisiana as part of the national Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative. Xavier University of Louisiana, an Historically Black College and University is first among the nation’s colleges and universities in the number of African American graduates who go on to complete medical school, according to data compiled by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Xavier had 60 African-American graduates earn medical degrees in 2011, the latest year for which complete data is available. Xavier is one of the nation’s top four colleges of pharmacy in graduating African Americans with Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) degrees.
A National Science Foundation report ranks Xavier 1st in the nation in producing African American graduates who go on to receive life sciences PhDs., 5th in the nation in producing African American graduates who go on to receive science and engineering PhDs, and 7th in the nation in producing African American graduates who go on to receive physical sciences PhDs. A Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine report showed Xavier tied for 12th nationwide in the number of African American students earning professional doctorate degrees (in this case, the Pharm.D. degree) with 54.
The Department of Physics is number one in the nation for awarding African Americans baccalaureate degrees in physics and the physical sciences, according to the latest report from the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Xavier is consistently ranked by the American Chemical Society as one of the top 25 universities in the nation in awarding bachelor’s degrees in chemistry (Xavier University of Louisiana).
Xavier will use part of the $19.6 million grant to expand the already thriving biomedical programs the historically black university offers its students. Laney Graduate School and other partner institutions will have access to Xavier STEM students to participate in summer research programs and ultimately attract these students to their graduate programs. The students, known as BUILD scholars, are motivated undergraduate science students interested in doing research and pursuing a Ph.D.
The BUILD partnership will complement programming already taking place in the Laney Graduate School. Just last year, the NIH awarded the Laney Graduate School a $2.5 million grant to implement the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program. IMSD, directed by Keith Wilkinson and Patricia Marsteller, also seeks to increase the number of undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups who complete doctoral degrees and enter the biological and biomedical sciences research workforce.
“Our commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion at Emory is being implemented through robust, innovative programming that creates pipelines to increase the number of underrepresented students entering and progressing through doctoral programs in the biomedical sciences and STEM fields,” says Lisa Tedesco, vice provost for Academic Affairs-Graduate Studies and dean of Laney Graduate School.
“Partnership with Xavier University through the BUILD Initiative will undoubtedly benefit—and better—our efforts,” she says.
Xavier, which already leads the nation in the number of African American graduates who go on to complete Ph.D.s in the life sciences, aims to triple the number of graduates and increase the number of African American life science Ph.D.s by 10 percent, according to Xavier President Norman Francis.
“We are proud that NIH has named us one of the institutions that believes it can uniquely contribute to this important goal,” he says.
Tedesco says that a deeper level of engagement with BUILD scholars during their undergraduate experience “will create opportunities that we hope will not only attract them to our programs at Emory, but ultimately create and nurture a biomedical workforce that is more representative of the unique perspectives and diversity of our nation.”
In addition to Emory, other BUILD partners include Johns Hopkins University, Louisiana State University and its Health Sciences Center, Tulane University, University of Wisconsin, Meharry Medical College, George Washington University, Penn State University, University of Rochester and University of California San Francisco.
The award is part of a $240 million NIH investment to develop new approaches to engage student researchers, including those from underrepresented backgrounds, and prepare them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce. Xavier and fellow awardees will establish a national consortium to train, mentor and encourage students from underrepresented groups to enter into and stay in research careers.
Xavier’s award under the BUILD initiative was one of 12 awards totaling some $31 million in fiscal year 2014 announced Oct. 22 by NIH. This year’s awards are part of a projected five-year program to support more than 50 awardees and partnering institutions.
Click here for the source article…
Stories of Resilience
October 27, 2014
The great equalizer in college admissions is student performance. Students who are willing to make the sacrifice and commitment to pursuing academic excellence, whether in Oakland, California, Long Island, New York, or India, are gaining admission into top colleges.
Oakland teen, Akintunde Ahmad (pictured here), accepted into multiple Ivy League schools (Yale, Brown, Columbia, and more).
Washington, DC student, Rashema Melson, whose father was killed when she was 7 months old, goes from homeless shelter to Georgetown University on a full scholarship.
Long Island, New York student, Kwasi Enin, accepted into all 8 Ivy League schools.
Dawn Loggins, senior and high school janitor, accepted into Harvard.
Indian students use Ivy League colleges as their “safety” schools.
From Mississippi to the Ivy League for low-income students, Justin Porter and Travis Reginald.
Richmond High School student, Guadalupe Morales, is Ivy League bound (Brown University). Teachers describe her work ethic, commitment, and grit in overcoming the challenges that she faced.
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.
2014 Turner Chapel AME Church Education Ministry College Fair
September 16, 2014
Student Loan Assistance
June 11, 2014
President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum that will allow an additional 5 million borrowers with federal student loans to cap their monthly payments at just 10 percent of their income.
FACTSHEET: Making Student Loans More Affordable
- 71 percent of those earning a bachelor’s degree graduate with debt, which averages $29,400.
- The Presidential Memorandum also outlines a series of new executive actions aimed to support federal student loan borrowers, especially for vulnerable borrowers who may be at greater risk of defaulting on their loans.
- The Secretary of Education has been directed to ensure that student loans remain affordable for all who borrowed federal direct loans as students by allowing them cap their payments at 10 percent of their monthly incomes. The Department will begin the process to amend its regulations this fall with a goal of making the new plan available to borrowers by December 2015.
- Most students taking out loans today can already cap their loan payments at 10 percent of their incomes. Monthly payments will be set on a sliding scale based upon income. Any remaining balance is forgiven after 20 years of payments, or 10 years for those in public service jobs.
- The Servicemember Civil Relief Act requires all lenders to cap interest rates on student loans – including federal student loans — at 6 percent for eligible servicemembers.
- The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) provides up to $2,500 to help pay for each year of college. But the process of claiming education tax credits like the AOTC can be complex for many students, including for the 9 million students who receive Pell Grants, and hundreds of millions of dollars of education credits go unclaimed each year. To help address this complexity, the Department of Treasury will release a fact sheet clarifying how Pell Grant recipients may claim the AOTC.
Click here for the complete fact sheet…
Church helps students strike gold on scholarship search
May 28, 2014Wednesday, May 28, 2014
By Eric Stirgus – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The $3,000 their church raised for the college scholarships was nice, but Mychal and Nina Wynn thought it could do more.
In 2007, the couple approached Turner Chapel AME Church senior pastor, the Rev. Kenneth Marcus, with the idea of a ministry to help students search for other scholarships and, just as importantly, provide them with the skills to get those scholarships.
Some of the 2014 graduates who attend Turner Chapel AME Church stand at the altar during the service Sunday.
On Sunday the church, in Marietta, held a service for 50 church members who have been awarded scholarships. The offers totaled $4.3 million.
Some students, like Brittany White, have earned full scholarships. White earned a Gates Millennium scholarship, which pays the entire tuition to any school the recipient attends. White’s choice was Spelman College.
“It feels really great knowing they want me to succeed as much as I want to succeed,” said White, 18.
Most of the students attend high schools in Cobb and Marietta, but some have graduated from schools in Cherokee, Fulton, Gwinnett, Paulding counties and Atlanta.
Community organizations and houses of worship across Georgia are getting more involved in helping aspiring college students find scholarships. Few, though, are as involved or successful as Turner Chapel AME, observers say.
Dr. Emily Lembeck, superintendent of Marietta City Schools, said, “I always enjoy attending this special service at Turner Chapel, where the number of graduates recognized continues to grow each year. This year MHS had a record number of graduates earning the largest amount of scholarship funds ever and I appreciate the contribution to this success that stems from the support some of our students received from the Education Ministry.”
At Turner Chapel AME, the Wynns, youth pastor Rev. Don Ezell and others worked with student members to find scholarships that fit their academic interests. They also helped with resume and essay writing, tutoring and preparing for the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. The church also holds a college fair each October. Last year, about 50 colleges came, said Mychal Wynn.
Reginald Lyon, president of the Duke Black Alumni Connection, which has about 1,500 members nationwide, attended the fair and was astounded by the preparedness of the students and workshops the church had on financial aid, college interviews and other topics.
“This was the most impressive setup I’ve seen at a historically black church,” said Lyon, who lives in Dallas, Texas. The church began in the mid 19th century. It has about 6,000 members.
Like Jesus urging his disciples to follow him and vowing to make them fishers of men, the Wynns have travelled to other churches to share what they are doing at Turner Chapel AME, with the inspirational message that they can do it too.
“We have created a scholarly culture and a culture of service,” said Mychal Wynn. That culture of service includes requiring church members in college to return on their breaks to help other students, or to mentor other Turner Chapel AME students once they arrive on campus. Many students are the first in their family to attend college and were unaware many of these scholarships exist. Some students say their guidance counselors, swamped with the hundreds of students seeking their attention, don’t always have time to help.
Linette Andrea, whose daughter, Jordan Fessehaie, 17, will attend Boston University this fall, echoes the thoughts of many parents. A blessing, mom called it.
“Jordan had a clear vision of her goals since the tenth grade and working with the Wynns allowed both of us to be more focused and acquire information that was not at school or in the community,” Andrea said.
For Kyla Baron, 17, the long hours of prep work in the ministry have resulted in a full scholarship from Xavier University in New Orleans, where she wants to study biology. Baron, who graduated from Kennesaw Mountain High School, said she’s received other scholarships that will help her pay for books, her dorm room and transportation to school “so my parents don’t have to pay for that.”
Click here to listen to student testimonials from their participation in the church’s 2014 College Planning Cohort:
Students Earn $4.3 Million Scholarships
May 11, 2014
CHURCH STUDENTS EARN $4.3 MILLION IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
The Turner Chapel AME Church, under the leadership of Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Kenneth Marcus, and Youth Pastor Rev. Don Ezell, has a model the White House should be paying attention to. Through the college planning support offered through the church’s Education Ministry, their 2014 class of 48 graduating high school seniors has been offered over $4.3 million in scholarships and financial aid from over 125 colleges and universities—including such highly selective colleges as Cornell, Columbia, Spelman, Morehouse, Xavier University (LA), Pomona College, Williams College, Wake Forest, University of Southern California, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, Boston University, and Syracuse University. 24 of the graduating students who participated in the church’s 2014 College Planning Cohort accounted for $3.4 million of the total.
The scholarships and financial aid offers include a 2014 Gates Millennium Scholar—the church’s 4th Gates Millennium Scholar—and the church’s 2nd and 3rd Posse Foundation Scholars. The 48 students—who attend high school in Cherokee, Cobb, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Paulding Counties, Marietta City Schools and Atlanta Public Schools, and a few who receive private and home-schooled educations—will be celebrated at the church’s 7th annual High School Graduation Celebration Worship Service on Sunday, May 25, 2014 at 9:30 am.
Many of these graduating high school seniors were rising middle school students when nationally acclaimed author and educational consultant Mychal Wynn, and his wife Nina Wynn, volunteered to take the reigns of the Turner Chapel AME Church’s Education Ministry. Through the church’s college planning, essay writing, and interview preparation workshops; CRCT Prep and SAT Prep sessions; bi-annual academic celebrations; annual college fair; annual college tour; college discussion panel of current and graduated college students; as well as the annual High School Graduation Celebration, the church has cultivated a culture of high academic expectation, leadership, and service.