December 1, 2021
Mychal Wynn (Northeastern ’79)We wish you peace and joy…As students return to college following the holiday break, we trust that they experienced joy, laughter, and thanksgiving with their families. Even if the obstacles beyond the normal return to college or transition into college, caused students to stumble off of the summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or even honors cum laude track, they can rejoice in their persistence and not having loss their scholarships. We wish you safe travels as you return to your campuses renewed, refreshed, and repurposed. December 15th will bring news of Early Decision applications for many of you. We pray that your applications receive favor and that you are blessed with offers of admission, together with full scholarships to begin the next phase of your lives after high school. What a blessing it will be that, while many thousands of high school seniors have yet to submit their college applications, cohort students will be exhaling and celebrating. This month will also bring news for students applying for the Posse Foundation Scholarship or selection as a QuestBridge Scholar. Saturday, December 11, 2021 (10:00 am – Noon) – December College Planning Cohort Meeting We will host our fourth meeting of the 2021-22 school year from 10:00 am to Noon on Saturday, December 11, 2021. Our guest speaker will be Stephanie Gonzalez, former Williams College Associate Director of Admissions and current Associate Director of College Counseling for Trinity School in New York. I first met Stephanie while accompanying cohort alumna Kimberly Hadaway to the Williams College First Generation Students Weekend in 2017. Stephanie has been an outspoken advocate for first generation and marginalized students successfully navigating selective college admissions. Steph will provide insight into competitive college admissions; how students of color and those from lower-income families can make themselves competitive applicants for selective colleges and universities; how applications are evaluated; and the impact of essays and recommendation letters.
In addition to Ms. Gonzalez, our December cohort meeting will provide students with the opportunity to share their action plans regarding course taking, their action plans regarding the SAT or ACT, as well as their action plans for maximizing their gifts and talents and identifying summer programs that will enable them to pursue their interests. Ms. Gonzalez is the perfect speaker to provide a context for these important conversations. Click here to register… or email cpc@collegeplanningcohort.com to request a Guest Pass.
Saturday, December 11, 2021 (1:00 pm – 4:00 pm) FAFSA Completion SessionWe will host a FAFSA Completion Session for Florence County School District 3 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, December 11, 2021. The one-hour sessions will begin at 1:00 pm and repeated each hour until 4:00 pm. Completing the FAFSA is one of the qualifying criteria for being awarded any federal student aid and up to $10,000 annually through The Meeting Street Scholarship. FCSD3 Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Laura Hickson, is sponsoring the session to ensure that all FCSD3 seniors submit the FAFSA and have the opportunity for being offered the best financial aid awards possible. Click here to register… The Meeting Street ScholarshipStudents in Florence School District 3, may apply for The Meeting Street Scholarship, which may provide up to a $10,000 annual scholarship over 4 years. The scholarship may be used at any of the 18 partner South Carolina colleges and universities. Qualifying criteria includes completing the FAFSA and qualifying for the Pell Grant. The application period is now open. Click here to apply… December College Cohort Presentation Award Nominees… Each month, our discussion group leaders nominate the best student presentation based on quality, content, and creativity, for students in our 9th – 10th grade and 11th grade cohorts. One student from each grade-level cohort is awarded our College Planning Cohort Presentation Award and their presentation is selected as an example that is placed into the curriculum.  Congratulations to the following students whose presentations were nominated for our College Cohort Presentation Award for November:
9th – 10th Grade Cohort: - Griffin S. – Pinellas County Schools Cohort
- Bryce E. – ASA Guide Right Cohort
- Jocelyne L. – Pinellas County Schools Cohort
- Nishan W. – ASA Guide Right Cohort
11th Grade Cohort: - Omar D., Jr. – Atlanta-area Cohort
- Wa’Dasja H. – Pinellas County Schools Cohort
While presentations are due by the final day of each month to qualify for being assigned to a discussion group, students have nearly two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to continue updating their presentations. Mentorship OpportunityWe have a number of students who can benefit from assistance in working through the monthly modules as well as having someone with whom to share their narratives and discuss their presentations. Advise us if you are interested in serving as a mentor. We will match you with a student who has requested assistance and you will earn community service hours. Thank you… Thank you to Dr. Yen Duong, mathematician, feminist, and author who gave a wonderful presentation at our November cohort meeting. Dr. Duong shared her story of being the first in her family to attend college (Yale), the challenges she encountered, and the actions she took to create a safe space for herself. We appreciate her candid conversation about the challenges facing women and people of color in STEM disciplines and the lack of information regarding the many free graduate school opportunities for STEM majors. Thank you to cohort alumna, Kimberly Hadaway, PhD candidate, who shared her experiences in finalizing her college choices for both undergraduate (Williams College) and graduate school (Iowa State). Kimberly provided candid responses to the many questions posed by students. With only 6.5% of doctorates being award to African Americans and only 7% being awarded to Latinos, we are gratified that Dr. Duong and Kimberly inspired students to look beyond their undergraduate experience to pursuing a PhD! A 2015 report notes the huge disparities of women and people of color pursuing STEM careers and, that the percentage of women earning STEM degrees are in the single digits: - Asian: 5%
- Black: 2.9%
- Latina: 3.8%
2022 Internship Opportunities Rebeca Snowden of Ingalls Shipbuilding (Mrs. Wynn’s sister) is encouraging cohort students currently attending college (preference given to students attending HBCUs) to apply to the Ingalls Shipbuilding 2022 Summer Intern Program. Applications for the paid internships are open now through December 31 for college students (junior, senior, and graduate level) with a 3.0 GPA. The internships will allow students to gain experience in technical or administrative positions and provide the potential opportunities for future full-time employment. Mark Your Calendar- Wednesday, December 1, 2021: Early Action and Financial Aid deadlines for many colleges
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: Monthly Cohort Meeting (10:00 am – Noon)
- Saturday, December 11, 2021: FAFSA Completion Session (1:00 pm – 4:00 pm/hourly)
- Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Early Decision notifications
- Friday, December 31, 2021 (11:59 pm): January presentations due
- Saturday, January 1, 2022: Regular Decision and Early Decision II deadlines
- Saturday, January 8, 2022 (10:00 am – Noon): January Cohort Meeting, during which we will host a student panel of high school seniors who will share the importance of engaging in the mid-year assessment, maximizing opportunities during the second semester, and the importance of summer programs in developing a competitive body of work for selective colleges and competitive scholarships. The Meeting ID is: 884 7893 8939.
- Thursday, January 13, 2022: Session 2 of our 3 Session College Planning Series for Pinellas County Schools 5th Graders. We will host a middle school principals panel for parents and breakout rooms for students (6:00 pm – 7:30 pm). Click here to register…
Reminder: Be sure to check your email as we regularly forward emails regarding summer programs, college fairs, and pre-college opportunities. Click here to learn more about our cohorts and other programs… Nationally Recognized | 2020 Magna Award First Place Winner | National School Boards Association. 
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