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IN The Neighborhood
FEATURES, NEWS & EVENTS
LIFE CHANGER: SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHES
By Clare S. Richie
Achieve Atlanta will award
approximately 900 need-based
scholarships this spring to eligible
Atlanta Pubic School (APS)
high school senior applicants.
Recipients will receive up to
$5,000 per year for a four-year
institution or up to $1,500 per
year for a two-year college
or technical school. Scholarships are
renewable for student recipients who
remain in good academic standing.
“Our vision is to have every student
in APS complete post-secondary
education and attain the full benefits that
higher education provides,” shared Tina
Fernandez, Achieve Atlanta Executive
Director. “When paired with other financial
aid, these scholarships are intended to
greatly reduce the need for families to get
high-interest private loans,” Fernandez
added.
Recent data shows that only 1 in 5 APS
high school graduates completes a post
secondary degree of any kind. Yet by 2020,
60% of the jobs in Georgia will require
some form of post-secondary degree.
Need-based scholarships are a key
part of Achieve Atlanta’s strategy to tear
down the barriers that prevent students,
especially those who are the first
in their families to go on to higher
education, from completing a
degree or credential after high
school.
Achieve Atlanta is a
supporting organization of The
Community Foundation for
Greater Atlanta, and is currently
funded through a grant from the
Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation.
Achieve Atlanta invests in strategies
that combine financial assistance with
academic and social support to increase
post-secondary access, retention and
completion.
Since Achieve Atlanta’s launch in July
2015, there are 30 additional mentoring
adults serving all APS high schools, thanks
to a partnership with the College Advising
Corps and Hands on Atlanta/AmeriCorps.
Prior to this effort, it is estimated that for
every 400 APS high school students there
was one counselor.
College Advising Corps mentors work
with 11th and 12th graders on the “nuts
and bolts” of going to college, such as ACT/
SAT test prep, applications, applying for
scholarships and more. For ninth and 10th
graders, Hands on Atlanta/AmeriCorps
mentors work on building awareness and
a “college-going mindset.” For example,
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D.M. Therrell High School students visit the University of Kentucky.
ninth graders hear about the importance
of a good GPA and the possibilities for
financing college.
Achieve Atlanta understands that while
high school advising and scholarships
will help more APS students access post
secondary education, it is not enough to
get them over the finish line. Less than
half of APS students who enroll in college
graduate within six years. In fact, the
majority drops out between their freshman
and sophomore year.
First-generation college goers need
support while in college, both academic
and social/emotional. That’s why Achieve
Atlanta is also designing a student advisory
model with partner post-secondary
institutions.
By working with partners to conduct
high school and post-secondary advising,
Achieve Atlanta can direct the majority of
its $20 million seed money from the Joseph
B. Whitehead Foundation toward its need-
based scholarships.
Starting in early March, APS seniors
will be able to apply for the Achieve Atlanta
scholarship. Eligibility requirements
include enrollment and graduation from an
APS high school, and minimum standards
related to GPA, financial need and post
secondary enrollment.
Full details will be available at
achieveatlanta.org following the scholarship
announcement at the Feb. 1 Atlanta Board
of Education meeting.
“We launched the scholarship program
because we believe our students deserve
a fair chance to achieve their dreams,”
Fernandez said. “This is a life changer for a
lot of our students.” 03
College Access Coach Trudy Nelson with one
of her 9th grade students.
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