Lakhani Coaching Announces First Scholarship Recipient
NEW YORK (PRWEB) May 22, 2018 -- Lakhani Coaching, a globally renowned program that helps students become more competitive college applicants by harnessing their passions and maximizing their academic growth, today announced that it has awarded its first fully-funded scholarship to Lisa David, a tenth-grader in Atlanta, Georgia, who immigrated from Liberia four years ago and spoke no English.
David attends high school in an Atlanta neighborhood that has one of the highest concentrations of HIV/AIDS in the United States. She actively participates in her school’s community service organization, runs track, plays volleyball, studies piano and is learning ballet. David also works part-time in her aunt’s beauty salon and cooks for her family. As a “Lakhani Scholar,” she will receive $10,000 worth of coaching, which includes 35 hours of high school career coaching. This includes 11 hours of character coaching and college admissions coaching and 25 hours of SAT/ACT prep.
In working with Lakhani Coaching, David’s goal is to maximize the quality of her college admissions while garnering as much scholarship money as possible. David is an A and B student who has achieved near perfect marks in chemistry, despite having started to learn English only four years ago. She is hoping to attend University of Georgia, Georgia State or possibly a private out-of-state university.
“When I found out I was coming to America, I was excited, nervous and scared all at the same time,” Lisa said. “I faced a lot of challenges since moving to America. I had to adapt to the American system and learn to properly speak English for my own benefit.
“I envision myself as a career person and want to develop tools that can enable me to achieve my life’s goals and aspirations. I can always count on Lakhani Coaching, like a trusted counselor or guide. This will make my parents proud, because where I’m from, everyone is depending on me and watching to see me succeed – especially when I’m in a great country.”
Hafeez Lakhani, founder and president of Lakhani Coaching, started the Lakhani Scholars program so he can play a meaningful role in helping students who otherwise would not have access to high-level, personalized test prep, guidance and college admissions counseling. His goal is to scale the scholarship program to the point where he has as many scholarship students as those who pay for Lakhani Coaching’s service.
“College admissions has become a game of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots,’” Lakhani said. “Students from wealthier families benefit from tremendous support throughout the process. If they use the resources at their disposal, they will have the opportunity to attend a great college. But our cities and rural areas are full of people like Lisa with incredible drive and intelligence, but who lack high-level, one-on-one support. So many of these kids get lost along the way and never make it onto a campus. My goal is to bring as much equity to the system as one business can.”
Lakhani Coaching’s unique approach emphasizes what founder and president Hafeez Lakhani, calls the “three paradigms” of a fulfilling high school career: academic growth, problem solving skills, and strong character, or personal development. This includes guiding students on selecting courses that will offer appropriate rigor and standardized test preparation by inspirational instructors who scored in the top percentiles on the SAT or ACT exams. In addition, Lakhani coaching works with students to cultivate lists of schools, follow the application timeline, and develop compelling essay topics. Yet, it is the focus on character, however, that distinguishes Lakhani Coaching. The program works closely with students via regular in-person or Skype meetings to identify their passions and channel their time into genuine outside-of-school goals—based on one or two areas of interest—that could anchor a personal narrative and help them stand out in the college applicant pool.
“We view the application process as a platform for helping young people far exceed what they ever thought they can achieve in terms of learning, testing and excelling outside the classroom,” Lakhani said. “When an admissions or financial aid officer is poring over hundreds of files, we want him or her to say, ‘Lisa, she’s the one who…’ We are helping students excel in all three of our paradigms—grades, scores, and character—so they become the kind of people who will make incredible contributors to any undergraduate community.
“Lisa’s story is one of courage, perseverance and engagement with life. Without question, her presence will enrich any dining hall or dorm lounge discussion. Our role, for the next two years, will be to help her find the school where she will thrive and ensure that the tremendous work she and her mother are putting into her future pays off with an amazing educational opportunity.”
Josh Berkman, Rubenstein Public Relations, +1 (212) 805-3055, [email protected]
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