Falling into College & Career: A Trimester in Review
/This Fall, St. Stephen’s took another step forward with our College & Career program. The vision of the program is to make sure that every student graduates from high school with a clear post-secondary plan that fits their academic, financial, social and emotional needs. We do this by focusing on increasing opportunities for our teens to learn about the variety of different options that are out there for them. This fall was one of our most successful semesters ever, and exemplified our effort to provide unique experiences, healthy adult relationships, and holistic ongoing support for our teens.We think about our college and career program not only in terms of college access and helping students get into college, but also helping to ensure that our students are successfully graduating from college. One way that we are doing this is by building out our alumni program to reflect the growing financial, academic and professional needs of our alums. Below you will see not only some of our highlights from the fall, but also some of our exciting new opportunities this spring.
Fall Highlights:
College Access:
21 C&C Seniors
22 High School Mentor Pairs
7 Colleges Visited (UNH, Wellesley, U-Mass, Lesley, Bridgewater, Northeastern, Brown)
8 College Prep Classes for Seniors
3 Career Panels focusing on careers in medicine, criminal justice and engineering
College and Career Days for both Elementary and Middle School Programs
College Success:
87 Alumni Connected w/ this Fall
4 Teen/Alumni Game Nights
Over $3,000 awarded to alumni for books, fees and other college expenses
Coming this Spring:
This spring we are thinking creatively about how we can provide new and exciting opportunities for all our teens by creating new strategic partnerships.
February Break College & Career Trip:
For the first time ever, we will lead a weeklong trip for sophomore and juniors to visit New York, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia where students will visit 7 colleges, meet with young professionals from a variety of different fields, and engage in cultural activities.
Building Bridges Across Difference:
We are working to build bridges in our communities through new partnerships. One example is a growing partnership with the Ellis Neighborhood Association Young Professional group as we work to create new networking opportunities between our alumni and young professionals.
Scholarships, Scholarships, Scholarships:
We understand the growing difficulties of affording college, and so we work with our teens and alums on scholarships (both locally and nationally), as well as work with neighborhood associations, partners like uAspire, and generous donors; all with the goal of helping students fill the gap.
As we embark on this next step in our journey, we continue to look for individuals and organizations that want to partner with us in moving from Access to Success. If you are interested in getting more involved, or finding more about our program, please feel free to reach out to Jeremy Kazanjian-Amory, Sr. Manager of College Access & Success at jeremy@ssypboston.org.
By Jeremy Kazanjian-Amorty, Sr. Manager of College Access and Success
