College Cohort News…

April 1, 2024

Mychal Wynn

Throughout March and into April as college basketball teams compete in the NCAA Tournament, many teams made the tournament selection as the result of a new mindset that resulted in new results for their program. As we approach the end of the 2023-24 school year, this month’s newsletter provides insight into how our students are achieving new results.

Our Emerging Middle School Leaders will be making a presentation reflecting the mindset in which they approached their 2023-24 leadership and community service project. Cohort alumnae and University of Chicago student, Faith Kumi, will be our guest speaker and discuss the mindset that resulted in her being offered admission to UChicago, selection as a Ron Brown Scholar, and which has sustained her through one the most academically rigorous college programs.

This month’s newsletter also contains important announcements regarding our 2024 Senior Recognition, College Planning boot camps, ACT boot camps, and speaking engagements this month.

Approaching the Finish Line

As a result of the months long delay in students being able to complete the FAFSA, many colleges have moved their enrollment deadlines from the traditional May 1 deadline to May 15 or June 1. Seniors should confirm the enrollment deadline with their schools. While our students who applied Early Decision have received their financial aid awards and finalized their college enrollment decision, many students are still awaiting their financial aid award letters. It is always advisable not to submit an enrollment deposit until you have received your financial aid award letter and know how much your actual college costs will be and how much student loan debt you will be required to assume for the 2024-25 academic year and how much your student loan debt is estimated to increase during each subsequent year of college.

We are now preparing our 2024 Senior Recognition Program, which will be presented to parents and students as a keepsake at our final cohort meeting of the 2023-24 school year, scheduled for 10:00 am on May 11, 2024. We will recognize each of our graduating seniors with whom we have worked 1-on-1 and through our cohort program in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Tabernacle of Praise Presentation

On Saturday, April 13, 2024 from 10:00 am – Noon, we will be participating on a panel discussion for The Girls of Dignity mentorship program. The panel discussion will be held at the Tabernacle of Praise Church International located at 1640 GA- 42 North in McDonough, Georgia.

The focus of the college readiness panel is to bring forth knowledge about various aspects of college preparation from grades, to activities, financial aid, scholarships, financial literacy, and balancing college life. The sessions promises to be informative for all students, k – 12 and college.

Sanderlin Center Presentation

On Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 10:00 am – Noon, we will be making an in-person presentation in St. Petersburg, Florida at the James B. Sanderlin Neighborhood Family Center. We will be providing a comprehensive presentation to parents and students regarding the impact of making strong transitions into middle school and high school and the profound influence these critical transition points can have on shaping a student’s future college and career opportunities. This promises to be an inspiring and informative session as we share how our middle school students developed 7-year plans that resulted in school success throughout middle school and high school; and multiple full scholarship opportunities when they applied to college. We will also profile some of our current Pinellas County Schools high school juniors, who joined our program as rising middle school students, and the scholarship, leadership, and community service profiles they have developed as a result of setting specific goals and pursuing intentional college-bound strategies.

If you have any friends or relatives in the St. Petersburg, Florida area, tell them to join us to be inspired and informed.

Guest Speaker – Faith Kumi

Cohort alumnae, Ron Brown Scholar, and current University of Chicago Odyssey Scholar, Faith Kumi, will be the guest speaker at our April cohort meeting. Faith brings unique insight into the grit and mindset needed to develop the body of work to be offered admission to selective colleges and compete for high-dollar scholarships.

Faith will speak promptly at 10:00 am so we ask that students and parents be on time.

Our 3 pillars of scholarship, leadership, and service are not things that Faith did to get into college, but reflects who Faith is. A 2021 graduate of the Marietta High School IB Program (GA), even after entering college, Faith has continued to serve as a mentor, discussion group leader, and college intern for our College Planning Cohort Program.

Special Presentation

Our Emerging Middle School Leaders will make a special presentation during our April cohort meeting of their community service project. Last year, students created their Emerging Leaders design that was printed onto t-shirts.

This year, students have engaged in leadership and civic advocacy through a collaborative project to make a difference in their respective communities. We are excited to see how they are leading change in their communities.

PCS Summer Boot Camp

Pictured above are students from our first Pinellas County Schools College Planning Boot Camp in 2018. This year’s boot camp will be the last for Dr. Lewis Brinson, the Pinellas County Schools Minority Achievement Officer who will be retiring. Dr. Brinson brought our program to Pinellas County Schools and has been a champion of our program working tirelessly to ensure that not only students of color and first generation students, but all PCS students have access to the personalized support and college planning expertise needed to navigate competitive college admissions and avoid student loan debt.

Dr. Brinson’s efforts has resulted in phenomenal outcomes for PCS students who have been awarded millions of dollars in scholarships and avoided thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Cohort students have received full scholarships to such liberal arts colleges, research universities, and HBCUs as Amherst College, Caltech, Claflin University Honors College, FAMU, Johns Hopkins University, The University of Chicago, Swarthmore College, Tuskegee University, Williams College, and Xavier University of Louisiana.

Dr. Brinson can retired knowing that his efforts on behalf of first generation and marginalized students is making history in Pinellas County Schools with their selection as Jack Kent Cook College Scholars, QuestBridge College Prep Scholars, QuestBridge College Match Finalists, Tuskegee University Distinguished Presidential Scholars, and University of Chicago Odyssey Scholars. Dr. Brinson, St. Peter has a special place for you at the Throne of Grace.

Are You Coachable?

You Must Be Coachable

As colleges compete in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament, you can observe coaches huddling their players repeatedly throughout the game to plan strategy. After the huddle breaks and players return to the court, the players must implement the strategy that the coach set out in their sideline huddle. Our program works in exactly the same way. In each of our monthly modules, we coach you through developing grade level appropriate strategies. However, it is the manner in which you engage in the units, create your slides, write your narratives, conduct your research, and apply our guidance, which determines if you are putting the pieces together and following the strategies that we have outlined.

Building Your Body of Work

As a basketball coach using a tablet to draw a play, the academic résumé, profile, and narrative document that we guide you in developing reflects both, your body of work and your strategy. Or, as high school junior Nishan Watson refers to as “My College Playbook.”

There are many pieces involved in the process of developing the body of work that you will present to colleges, scholarship providers, and even for internships. The body of work that we guide you developing as reflected on your résumé as you enter middle school will evolve into a CV (curriculum vitae) that you will continue building as a college student in preparation for applying to medical school, law school, graduate school, internships, or for employment.

We Have a System

Lake City, South Carolina was our first school district partner and many of our cohort students in South Carolina are attending the University of South Carolina so I have been following South Carolina basketball. When Coach Dawn Staley explains the success of the USC Women’s Basketball Program, she routinely talks about the “system” that they have and how students must understand and accept their system if they are to be successful. So too, is our college planning program, which is explained in great detail on our website (Our College Planning System). Invariable, students who have had the best outcomes in our program have not had the highest GPAs or SAT/ACT scores, but are students who have embraced our system and accepted our guidance.

Winning – The Result of Your Efforts and Our Guidance

Fitting the pieces of your body of work together, is referred to in our program as alignment. This means that we are guiding you in aligning your gifts and talents, leadership, community service and countless other actions taken throughout the school year and during the summer months in a manner that is consistent with your college, career, and scholarship aspirations. Coach Staley describes this process as “building the right habits.” Getting into your top college choice and earning a full college scholarship is no more guaranteed than Coach Staley coaching her team to a third National Championship. However, if you follow our guidance, build the right habits, and keep the main thing the main thing, you will expand your college and scholarship opportunities. And just maybe, you will celebrate getting into your dream school and being awarded a full scholarship.

What We Are Planning…

ACT Intensive Summer Sessions

We are planning 4-5 day ACT Intensive Sessions this summer, with each session focused on a specific ACT subject area. Each session will address the following 5 components:

• What you are expected to know on the ACT
• The foundational skills required to do well on each ACT section
• Learning and study strategies consistent with your learning style
• Developing a Study Cycle consistent with your grit, mindset, and temperament
• Daily pre- and post-testing

College Planning Boot Camps

We are finalizing our summer schedule of all virtual 4-5 day College Planning Boot Camps. Registration will be open to students in grades 6 – 12 from throughout the United States. The learning outcome will be for each participating student to leave with a college-focused action plan from their current grade level through the time that they apply to college and for scholarships. 1-on-1 guidance will also be available.

April Discussion Groups

11th Grade: High school juniors should be prepared to share and discuss their college research. The table presented below is taken from Module 8: Unit 3 – Lesson – College Research.

10th Grade: High school sophomores are encouraged to attend the 11th grade discussion group to listen to how high school juniors have been engaged in their college and scholarship research.

9th Grade: There will not be a 9th grade discussion group this month so 9th graders may either be dismissed following the Emerging Middle School Leaders presentation or join the 10th and 11th grade discussion group.

Emerging Middle School Leaders: Be prepared to make your powerpoint presentation profiling your leadership and community service project during the general session.

ACT Prep and Learning Strategies Plan: Be prepared to provide an update on where you are on your respective areas of responsibility as we approach the May 1 deadline for finalizing the project.

Mark Your Calendar:

• April 13, 2024
• May 11, 2024

Monthly meetings are restricted to students registered in our program and their parents.