New York, NY (PRWEB) October 15, 2015
This Sunday, October 18th, over 200 low-income students from high schools in the New York area will head to the Barclay’s Center for a unique opportunity to explore and identify possible career paths with the help of experts from Macy’s and Education for a Better America.
For 20 years, College Summit has been training a corps of high school students, called Peer Leaders, to create a college-going culture in their schools by helping their peers accomplish filling out college applications, writing their personal statements and applying for FAFSA.
Since 2006, College Summit New York has been hosting its annual Peer Leader Conference to bring Peer Leaders across the city together for a half-day workshop. With New York’s College Application Week starting October 26th, this year’s Conference is focused on helping students identify which colleges would be a good fit by introducing them to the pathways they can take to reach their career goals.
“A student who can make the connection between college and his or her life goals is six times more likely to attain a Bachelor’s degree,” said Gary Linnen, Program Director of College Summit New York. “Our goal is to make sure our Peer Leaders not only make this connection, but return to their schools with the tangible steps they can take to start planning for their professional future today.”
Conference workshops will include a presentation from Macy’s on dressing for success, a step-by-step guide to career exploration by Education for a Better America, and a live “App-a-thon”.
A staple of College Summit, “App-a-thons” leverage tech-savvy Peer Leaders to train their teachers and counselors on the apps that will help students research, apply to and pay for college. These apps, available at College App Map, developed with the technical assistance of Facebook and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are designed to help low-income students get into college through the use of the latest and most relevant technology and approaches, including social networking, “gamification” and net price calculators.
Following the conference, students will have an opportunity to high-five the Brooklyn Nets before the game and be spotlighted on the Jumbotron during the afternoon game against the Philadelphia 76’s.
About College Summit
College Summit is a national nonprofit that transforms the lives of low-income youth by developing a corps of high school students who lead their peers to and through college. To date, College Summit has placed over 250,000 students from almost 500 schools across the country on the path to college and career, raising the college enrollment rates of partner schools by up to 20% over baseline. Learn more at http://www.collegesummit.org.
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