Featured Student

Name: 

Jowita Fratczak

School: 

Del Mar High School (CA)

Jowita, a senior, immigrated from Poland when she was 13 and has spent her childhood overcoming tremendous odds.  Despite living in a house with an abusive father who was later incarcerated and eventually deported, Jowita managed to earn a 3.6 GPA, while tutoring English language learners and serving as Del Mar's Commissioner of Clubs.

Despite her tremendous perseverance and academic success, Jowita was not accepted to any of the universities she applied to because of  an incomplete understanding of the application process.  Having not asked for her official test scores to be sent to the schools, she found herself with a pile of rejection letters and the prospect of reapplying to local community colleges.

And then, Strive was able to intervene.  Del Mar's counselor Richard Mendoza reached out  to us to help, and due to our relationship with San Jose State University and thanks to the commitment of  Jason Laker, the Vice President of Student Affairs, Julita was able to secure  an acceptance in next fall's incoming class.

Jowita, who will be the first in her family to graduate from college, plans to major in Psychology and aspires to attend law school to focus on immigration law. Jowita has channeled her struggles into the motivation she needs to succeed, and wants to do her part to build a life of greater opportunity for herself and others.  Like hundreds of other students around the country, she knows the first step is college, and Strive is honored to have helped her get there!

Op Ed Piece about Strive in the Chronicle of Higher Education!

Strive for College

December 17, 2010, 2:47 pm

By Richard Kahlenberg

As the January 1st deadline for applications at many universities nears, it’s alarming to think about the many talented low-income students who won’t apply to four-year colleges for which they are qualified.

I’ve spent much of the past decade-and-a-half focusing on economic diversity in higher education—with an emphasis on admissions and financial-aid strategies for low-income students. One of the critical ways to achieve greater socioeconomic diversity is for colleges to provide affirmative action for economically disadvantaged students, whom my frequent collaborator Anthony Carnevale calls “strivers.”

I’ve often noted that providing financial aid alone is not enough to improve access for low- income students; in order to receive financial aid, students first have to be admitted. Universities that have generous financial-aid policies, but admit few low-income students, won’t do much for socioeconomic diversity.

READ THE REST HERE!

Boost for College-Bound Seniors

National nonprofit Strive for College has its roots in Campbell Union High School District.

By Mayra Flores de Marcotte | Email the author | December 6, 2010

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On Friday, a room full of Del Mar High School students, teachers and mentors got together to celebrate the end of Strive for College's fall session. They also celebrated their future: college.

"If it hadn't been for this program, I would have been tearing out the hair on my head," said Del Mar senior Molica Nol. "It takes time out of school to find some of this information. You don't want to be at home doing it all alone."

Nol is involved in a local chapter of a nonprofit organization that has its roots in Campbell and goes out across the nation to universities for mentors to help guide high school students through the college-application process.

"This is one of our largest chapters, as well as one of the oldest," says Sofia Janney-Roberts, coordinator for Strive for College's nine chapters.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE!

Come Strive with Us! Seeking a Chapter Operations Manager

Strive for College Collaborative

Chapter Operations Manager

Are you passionate about EDUCATION REFORM?

Are you eager to take on serious RESPONSIBILITY and join a TEAM of smart, fun and motivated individuals?

Are you excited to use your SKILLS and CREATIVITY to help grow an early stage organization?

Are you driven to create real and significant IMPACT?

Then come STRIVE with us!

About Strive

Strive for College is a new approach to correcting the inequalities of college access, focusing on the lack of information and motivation that many underserved high school students face. Strive for College’s ‘high-tech/high-touch’ approach helps qualified students successfully identify and apply to their best-fit colleges and universities. Strive accomplishes this though a unique college search tool and individualized online curriculum complimented by a grassroots component of undergraduate student mentors.

With an impressive initial results and a strong support base, Strive has the potential to dramatically improve college access for underserved students over the next few years.  Joining the Chapter Operations Team offers a unique opportunity to significantly contribute, as one of the first employees, to the growth of a early stage startup non-profit organization, helping to build and improve Strive’s core program – the Strive Chapter. Strive Chapters exist at colleges and universities across the country and are made up of undergraduates who provide one-on-one college mentoring to underserved high school students who need it most. More information about Strive for College can be found on our website: www.striveforcollege.org.

Position

Strive for College is seeking an outgoing, results driven leader with the ability to simultaneously oversee existing chapters, manage new chapter growth, and support the development of a national expansion plan. This person will recruit and manage a growing number of student volunteers throughout the country and will be the major driver for the evaluation and improvement of Strive’s Chapter model.

As a founding member of the Chapter Operations team you will…

·       Have the ability to impact the roles and responsibilities of this position in order to best fit your working style and best serve and improve Strive Chapters

·       Develop a strong role-model and mentor relationship with college student leaders

·       See immediate results in your effort to impact college-going rates among underserved communities across the country

·       Develop connections with influential donors and community members

·       Operate within a small, close-knit and supportive office

·        Travel the country to visit Strive Chapters

·       Contribute significantly to the direction in which Strive grows and ultimately impact the future of the organization

If this sounds exciting to you, please apply if you are…

·       An enthusiastic individual who is passionate about education

·       Flexible and capable of managing Strive’s Chapter program efforts in a period of rapid growth

·       Have a strong attention to detail, a results orientation and problem solving abilities

·       Creative and comfortable with proposing projects and providing constructive feedback at all stages

Strive for College is located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This is an exempt position with generous benefits and salary.

Strive for College is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

If you feel that you are the right candidate who can help Strive build a national network of Strive Chapters, please submit your resume with a cover letter to Sofia Janney-Roberts at sofia@striveforcollege.org  with the subject line ‘Strive Chapter Operations – [Applicant’s Name]’.

 

Nobel winner Joe Stiglitz speaks about Strive!

Watch the rest of his speech here: striveforcollege.org/media/video3.html

Come Work for Us!

Strive Paid Internship Program - Marketing

Description

Are you just out of college looking for a chance to make a MAJOR DIFFERENCE?

Are you passionate about improvements to the EDUCATION system in America?

Are you eager to join a TEAM of smart, fun and motivated individuals?

Are you excited to use your SKILLS and CREATIVITY to help grow an early stage organization?

Then come STRIVE with us!

Position:

Strive for College is seeking an enthusiastic individual to join our innovative three-month internship program to help with marketing. We are looking for an outgoing, results oriented recent college graduate able to communicate Strive verbally and through online and print materials. As a member of this internship program team, you should be willing to take the initiative to come up with your own ideas to help us take Strive to the next level.

What you can expect from Strive:

Located in the Menlo Park area, these internships include a $5,000 stipend and could lead to a full time job! This internship provides a unique opportunity to gain incredible leadership experience and learn essential business skills while making a tangible difference working for a fast-paced startup nonprofit with tremendous potential.

Responsibilities

What Strive expects from you:

As a startup organization, we need people who can fill a variety of roles. You will come to the program with moderate to exceptional web, video, print design and PR experience and willingness to learn how to perform any design or communication tasks that you haven’t had experience filling before. Your position will entail generating Strive’s press, creating print and web design materials, and managing Strive’s social media outlets.
Additionally, we are seeking individuals with the following personality traits:
•Highly creative and ambitious
•Ability to design, format and produce professional promotional materials
•Excellent written, communication and analytical skills
•Proficient in Microsoft Word, InDesign, PhotoShop, DreamWeaver or other graphic design programs
•Quick learner with an aptitude for problem solving
•Enthusiastic about college access

EMAIL YOUR COVER LETTER AND RESUME TO jacob@striveforcollege.org

A Question of Bridges

Tom Vander Ark, one of Strive's Board of Directors, was asked to provide an expert response to an article in the National Journal on Thursday. Vander Ark eloquently explains the need for programs like Strive and describes why Strive's approach is so effective.

Enjoy!

Tom Vander Ark
Partner, Revolution Learning


Strive for College matches mentors with bubble kids and helps them make positive high school choices and the best possible post secondary choice. I'm a director and believe kids need more support than most get. Here's advice from Executive Director Michael Carter.

The college application process, like navigating the job search process for the first time, is not rocket science. However, both are often confusing, counterintuitive and very time-consuming. Most importantly, both are subjective - there is no such thing as the best college, despite what the US News and World Report would like you to believe. When a high schooler asks the question "What is the best job?", the response is always another question: "Well, what do you want to do?". Traditional education is not designed to support dialog; individualized instruction has been impossible due to the prohibitive cost. Technology makes individualized education possible and it can be less expensive than traditional education. Outcomes are better b...

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