Nasim Mohammadzadeh is ahead of the game when it comes to financing her college education.
The Kentucky teen’s entry in NACAC’s 2019 Video Essay Contest earned her a $1,000 scholarship — money that will soon come in handy as she works to pursue an undergraduate degree in neuroscience or biology.
“It really lifts a burden off of me as a whole because, you know, looking at that big number, that tuition cost, for any college…it’s overwhelming,” Mohammadzadeh, a rising senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, said Tuesday during a Facebook Live broadcast.“…Having this scholarship gives me motivation that even if I get into some place that’s extremely expensive and out of my price range, this little scholarship is going to help me be able to achieve that dream and go to that university.”
Colleges and universities are making strides in gender inclusivity, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Ten years ago, the University of Vermont became the first school in the US to allow students to self-identify their pronouns and to include it in their student data.
Now, according to the Campus Pride Trans Policy Clearinghouse, 255 colleges enable students to use a chosen first name, instead of their legal name, on campus records and documents; 60 colleges enable students to change the gender on their campus records without evidence of medical intervention; and 19 colleges enable students to indicate the pronouns they use for themselves on course rosters.
A new resource is available to help American Indian students navigate the college admission process.
Native Pathways: A College-Going Guidebook was released this spring by the American Indian College Fund. The organization is asking counselors and others for help getting the free publication into the hands of students.
The 57-page booklet—developed through the College Fund’s successful Native Pathways to College Program—includes information on preparing for higher education, applying to schools, and paying for college. It also includes tips to help students get their college career off to the right start.
In the past three months, the Harvard sociologist has been featured on NPR, CNN, PBS, and other media outlets talking about disadvantaged students, college access, and the admission process.
And this September, he’ll be chatting with NACAC members.
Jack, author of The Privileged Poor, has agreed to join us for a #NACACreads discussion focused on his book. The conversation—which will also provide opportunities for admission professionals to share their insights about the experiences of disadvantaged students—will kick off on Twitter at 9 p.m. ET on Sept. 17.
NACAC issued a statement this week in support of the US Supreme Court’s decision not to hear arguments in Doe v. Boyertown Area School District.
The court case centers on a Pennsylvania school district’s policy permitting students to use the restroom of their choice. By declining to hear the case, the Supreme Court let stand a lower court’s ruling that sided with the district’s decision to allow students to use the bathroom matching their gender identity.
Campus visits can often seem out of reach for low-income or marginalized student populations.
But one high school senior has made it her mission to get students like her to see the campuses of selective universities firsthand.
Leila Champion, a senior at Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School (IN), launched The Champion Project this year. The Champion Project, which also served as her senior capstone project, aimed to show her fellow classmates that they too could go to their dream schools.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have become two of the world’s best ambassadors for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
In 2018, Beyoncé became the first black woman to headline Coachella and she used the opportunity to take concertgoers – and those watching at home – to school, celebrating HBCUs on the main stage.
Waiting in the Lexington, KY airport terminal for my flight home from the Rural College Access and Success Summit, I can’t help but reflect on the past few days meeting educators dedicated to rural issues.
I was heartened by the work of GEAR UP advisors from multiple states encouraging college aspirations among rural middle schoolers, but I was also reminded of the challenges our most remote counselors and students face, be it transportation issues, lack of curricular options, fewer students going on to college, or retention of teachers. For sure, unique barriers in rural spaces persist, and we must tackle them head-on.
“Resources in most states tend to be allocated non-progressively or even regressively, that is, higher-poverty districts do not receive more funds — and in some cases receive substantially less — than do lower-poverty districts, even controlling for factors that affect costs, such as regional wage variation, district size, and population density,” the report finds.
Nasim Mohammadzadeh is ahead of the game when it comes to financing her college education.
