On Thursday, June 28, 35 upcoming high school seniors from the local College Summit program came to campus to begin a four-day workshop which kicks off an intense year long program that is intended to give the participants a jump start on the college application process. The students are the top 20% of students who are enrolled in the program and are chosen to attend the workshop in order to return to their high school and spread their enthusiasm to their peers.
College Summit was founded 18 years ago by J.B. Schramm, a teen center director who saw how college transformed the lives of young people in the neighborhood. The program came to St. Louis in 2004 at the urging of Jane Donahue, a former College Summit writing coach who saw the need for the program in the area. The program was originally introduced to students in the St. Louis Public School District (SLPS) but has expanded into the Normandy School district and the Shearwater Education Foundation. Since working with College Summit, SLPS has achieved a 13% increase in their college enrollment rates and has met the Missouri Department of Education College Placement Standard for the past three years.
During their stay at Ranken, students will be staying in Walker Hall and attending various sessions which give them the tools they need to begin the college application process. Students learn how to effectively write a personal statement, meet one-on-one with a guidance counselor, learn the basics of the financial aid process and gain concrete skills in self-advocacy.
While on campus, students took a tour of the College and learned more about the opportunities available in technical education and more specifically at Ranken from Admissions Counselor Kevin Andert.
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