SUPPORT A STUDENT
Worried About Equity in Education? Looking for a Way to Help?
My work at Reno High School as the College and Career Advisor/Facilitator gave me first-hand insight into the lack of support that Washoe County School District (WCSD) gives to students trying to navigate the complex college search, application and scholarship process. Low-income, often first-generation, high school students are those that are most likely to fall through the cracks. While many manage to find their way to college, many lack the resources to be successful: missing out on financial aid opportunities and scholarships to assist with paying for college, under-matching academically due to cost and lack of advising, and a lack of mentor-ship support to navigate the obstacles. Data shows us that college graduation rates align with family income: low-income college students graduate at roughly 30% the rate of their better resourced peers. They often carry with them student loan debt without the higher paying job to pay it down. COVID-19 will only increase these challenges both at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
BE PART OF OUR TEAM TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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Subsidize a student: give them the tools to be successful
By subsidizing a student, for as little as $500, you are allowing me to work with more low-income students than I would otherwise be able to. In exchange for a donation, I will select a high achieving, goal oriented, low-income student through my connections with counselors and College/Career Center Facilitators in the Washoe County School District. Ideally, these students will be in their sophomore or junior year of high school. I will work with them to develop a list of colleges that will provide them options, both from a financial aid and acceptance perspective. I will assist them through the application, essay, and financial aid (FAFSA/CSS Profile) process and match them with scholarships that they are strong candidates for. We will develop a timeline and check in periodically via text, Zoom and in-person consults when that becomes feasible. I will provide resources, once they select a college, that will support them to be successful and will continue to check-in, periodically, until they graduate.
You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are giving an under-resourced, high-achieving student the support to be successful through a post-secondary education.
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You are giving them the foundation, through education, to be an independent adult who contributes to our society. You may donate by clicking the button below. Or, contact me for more information.
Click below for a link to an op-ed that I wrote on this topic, published in the The Nevada Independent