'Pathways to College Essay\r'

' passâ€Å"less(prenominal) than 17% of Afri do-nothing-Ameri rouse and Latino students go forth finish high narrow and graduate from college. ” (Landy, 2013) Less than 70% of students in Milwaukee graduate from high trail. ( passs PowerPoint, 2013) still a little over 25% of the nation in Wisconsin hold a four-year college degree. (O’Connell, 2014) This reproductional discrepancy stretch forths to economic disparity which affects the entire state, non tho the urban aras with a higher achievement cattle farm since most jobs with an annual salary over $30,000 leave require a four-year degree.\r\n(Winters, 2014) There is a architectural plan called Pathways to College that is turn tailing hard to change these shocking statistics. We be here tonight to show you that Pathways to College is a stir worthy of your and your arrangement’s measure, talent, and treasure. The problem is that not rich people bang about Pathways to College. We would wa nt to take a few minutes of your time to introduce you to this exceptional political program. According to Pathways director Kelly Ramirez, Pathways to College was the fancy of past WLC president Tim Kriewall and the program accepted its offset students in 2007.\r\nAlthough located on the WLC campus, Pathways to College is a non-profit organization independent from WLC. With the mission â€Å"to create a spirit that college is an option for anyone (Pathways pamphlet),” the program assists lower-income college prospects who atomic number 18 â€Å"first-generation” students (neither of their p bents ask gradational from college) and chip in the potential to succeed in college. In this program, students develop academically, socially, and spiritually for college. The program also assists them in finding the monetary resources to name college.\r\nThe ultimate coating is to increase â€Å"the number of lower income and minority students prosecute and completing a post high shoal education. ” (Pathways pamphlet) The Pathways to College program consists of four components. low gear is Pathways Prospects in which families catch the WLC campus to become familiar with a college environment and micturate for the Pathways program. (Pathways pamphlet) Next is the precollege component, which is the center of the program. Students in scrapes 6-12 leave-takingicipate in the after school prep center at least erstwhile a week and also once a month on Saturday mornings.\r\nThey study, engender tutoring and mentoring, attend life skills workshops, and participate in husk (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and literacy programs. In attention deficit hyperactivity disorderition, the program sponsors a summer academy for grades 6-11 which focuses on academics, sports, and fine arts such as art, dance, drama, and music. (Pathways pamphlet) Director Ramirez said that in addition, high school seniors ar able to broaden thei r educational horizons every summer on an inter national trip. (This year they argon going to Puerto Rico!)\r\nFreshman, sopho muchs, and juniors take a courtly Rights tour in the Southern states, visit colleges in California, and colleges on the East Coast on change years. For the first time in the coming 2014-2015 school year, Pathways to College bequeath be privileged to implement the final exam component, the college program, as the first graduating class of Pathways begins college next crepuscle! Ramirez said the directors of the program impart continue to advocate and mentor these college students. They bequeath keep tabs on the students’ grades and attendance.\r\nIn addition, financial uphold, workshops over school breaks, and internship as nearly as job and career assistance get out also be offered. (Pathways PowerPoint, 2013) Finally there is the agnate program. Parents also attend workshops throughout the school year. These fastness meetings offer armed service with life skills and support for head their child toward college. (Pathways pamphlet) It takes a special student to be accepted into the Pathways program. Ramirez in haveed us that at infix there are 17 Pathways partner schools.\r\nT from each oneers at these schools identify students that they feel meet the program qualifications of a low-income, first-generation student with a minimum â€Å"C” grade average and minimum behavior problems at school. erst accepted into the program, students essential sign the Pathways to College Covenant. Here they betoken attend at least 80% of the activities offered, besidest Christ-like behavior at all times, keep up schoolwork and grades, and keep an open communication with their parents and with the Pathways program.\r\nParents must also sign the covenant and agree to attend at least 80% of the parent programs, support and get along their son or daughter in his/her academic career, and do everything to get along a winni ng Christian household. As long as these commitments are maintained, the child is welcomed and encouraged to stay in the program. (Pathways to College Covenant) alike the above commitments, there is no monetary exist to the parents or the students who are selected for the program. This is not to say that the program itself comes without a price tag, however.\r\nPathways director Kelly Ramirez said that the annual cypher for Pathways is a half million dollars. This cypher is totally dependent on grants, private donors, foundation contributions, and fund raisers. She also said that even though the directors take on pulled the $500,000 budget together for this year, this near covers the basal program for its 240 students. A larger staff and a more reliable long-range financial assure are needed to lighten present workloads, add a kindergarten-4th grade component, and expand this program to its upper limit capacity of 700 students.\r\nWe feel this is a immense program, which w e ourselves promote and support. We don’t want you to just take our record for it, however. We’d like you to hear from families that catch already benefited from the Pathways to College program. (YouTube testimonial) ( precaution Era, 2013) Better yet, come see for yourself. If you bay window come early to class some Monday afternoon, confront by and visit with some of the volunteers and students in the program. dope off in and talk with Director Kelly Ramirez or executive Director Milton Cockroft in their offices in the administration building.\r\n straight off you are aware of the Pathways to College program. You have seen for yourself the great work that Pathways to College is doing with these five-year-old people. That’s all well and redeeming(prenominal), but you figure, â€Å"Well, this is all far removed from me and my family and my business. I fare there’s a sales gear up coming, but it really has nothing to do with me. ” It has ev erything to do with you, your family, and the community. Successful college graduates of this program will produce dedicated, responsible, experienced workers with whom you will be working and that will be working for the companies that you own or distinguish.\r\nThis can however mean success for you and your business! In addition, these young people won’t need help from the government and other(a) agencies but will have great potential for a productive future. First of all there will be lessen need for WIA funding. (â€Å"U. S. Department,” 2014) As young people with groundwork cooking at Pathways, they have excellent prospects for good paying jobs since â€Å"47% of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM occupations earn more than PhDs in non-STEM occupations.\r\n” (â€Å"The episode for,” 2013) Over a lifetime, a college graduate will earn $1,000,000 more than someone who only bring in a high school degree. (Pathways PowerPoint, 2013) As you can se e from the following chart ( juvenility Indicators, 2011), it does take education to get out of poverty. Every graduate will be one more person to land his/her talents and skills to society. Every graduate will help and encourage the next generation of friends and family to also go to college, which will have a positive ripple put in on the community.\r\n(Some Pathways parents themselves have already been inspired to enrol in college!! ) Best of all, you will know that you had enough love and foresight to take a part in enriching the lives of these deserving young people and the lives of those they touch. today you are convinced that Pathways is certainly a great program and worthy of your support. However, you are thinking, â€Å"Jeepers, I’m going to college. I have a family to support. You’re barking up the wrong tree, ladies. I don’t have any extra money! ” assume’t you? Let’s put Pathway’s half million dollar budget into per spective.\r\nRamirez says that it costs about $3000 a year for each child that goes through the program. If we in this room would encompass a child and split that amount up among us, and then divide that by the weeks in a year, it would cost each of us no more per week than the price we’d pay for a latte at Starbucks! If you own or manage a business there are other things you can do. Visit your lodge’s HR department to see what type of donation your company could claim. Perhaps you could have your company or PTA make Pathways the beneficiary of its next fund raiser.\r\nThere are other things Pathways can use that are just as valuable as money/treasure. Pathways can use your time and talents. If you are great at math or grammar, for example, think about tutoring a struggling student. Maybe you don’t have time to come in to tutor once a week. As a sales manager, you could lead a once-a-year workshop instructing students how to write a resume. As the assistant m anager of a bank, you could offer your financial expertise by teaching a workshop on money management. As a piss and cafeteria manager you could give a nutrition workshop.\r\nThese are just a few suggestions to get you started. You have seen for yourself the great work Pathways is doing for these young people! You know that the program is worthy of support in the form of your time, talents, and treasure. You are aware of Pathways to College. Please spread the word and help us make others aware! References Attention Era. (2013, March 10). Pathways to College-the story [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www. youtube. com/results? search_query=Pathways%20to%20College&sm=12.\r\nThe instance for STEM education as a national priority: good jobs and American competitiveness. (2013, June). Retrieved from http://www. stemedcoalition. org/wp-content/uploads/2013/ 10/Fact-Sheet-STEM-Education-Good-Jobs-and-AmericanCompetiveness-June-2013. pdf Landy, B. (June 13, 2013). graph: U. S. col lege graduation rates are rising, but the peace of mind of the world is catching up [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://tcf. org/ web log/detail/graph-u. s. †college-graduation-rates-are-rising-but-the-rest-of-the-world-is O’Connell, M. (2014, February 11).\r\nThe role of education in the state of the economy. subject presented at the Wisconsin ACT composition 2014 Annual Conference, Middleton, WI. Pathways to College. (n. d. ). [Information pamphlet] Pathways to College. (n. d. ). Pathways to College covenant [Organization contract] Pathways to College. (2013). What path are you on? [PowerPoint] Ramirez, K. (2014, February 19 and March 3). Interview by C. Ristow and R. Flagg.\r\nWhat are Needs of Pathways to College? U. S. department of labor employment and training administration notice of availability of funds and appealingness for grant applications for Youth Build. (2014, February 18). Retrieved from http://www. doleta. gov/grants/pdf/YouthBuild SGA-DFA-PY-13- 04. pdf Winters, D. (2014, February 11).\r\nThe brutal facts about the ever-changing labor market and the need for an educated workforce. Paper presented at the Wisconsin ACT Organization 2014 Annual Conference, Middleton, WI. Youth indicators 2011 America’s jejuneness: Transitions to adulthood youth indicators 2011America’s youth. (2011, December 26). Retrieved from http://nces. ed. gov/pubs2012/ 2012026/figures/figure_32a. asp.\r\n'