Mentor Profile: Chris Williams and Joe Arquillo
Chris Williams (Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP) and his mentee, Joe Arquillo (Boston College) are entering their second year together as mentor and mentee, and both agree it has been a great experience. When discussing their relationship, Chris said, "I've really enjoyed my time as part of the College Now program, and particularly getting to know my mentee, Joe Arquillo, a very impressive young man with a much different and more challenging personal background than mine, who has reminded me that with hard work, good judgment and dedication many things are possible."
Joe has enjoyed building a relationship with Chris as well, saying, "Going into the College Now Mentoring Program, I did not know what to expect. Chris and I met and from the beginning had a very good friendship."
If you ask Chris, his role has been that of someone who has simply gotten to observe and celebrate Joe's accomplishments in college. "Although my contribution to Joe's ongoing success is miniscule, I am proud of how he has handled the transition from high school to college."
However, Joe tells it differently, explaining Chris' role as integral to his success, "Chris not only has helped me in regards to academics, college life, internships, but also personal decisions as well. College Now has made this friendship possible, and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for the two of us."
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Support College Now Today
Like what you've read here and want to support College Now? Click here to make a gift now. Your gift will help us continue to increase college attainment in Greater Cleveland.
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It's Student Loan Repayment Time. Are YOU Ready?
Attention May/June 2014 graduates!
Your six-month student loan repayment grace period is ending soon! Are you ready? Do you know all of your repayment options?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, make an appointment with the College Now Resource Center today! Our advisors will walk you through loan consolidation and repayment options.
Our Resource Center is FREE and open to the public M-F 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays by appointment. Call 216.241.5587 for more information or to make an appointment.
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 UH Partners with College Now to Expose Students to Careers in Allied Health
College Now is so appreciative of its ongoing partnership with University Hospitals and its generous, three-year commitment to fund an innovative summer program, Early Action for Allied Health. Thanks to UH's support, College Now once again provided a three-week intensive ACT preparation, career and college exploration program for 40 rising seniors who attend a high school in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, urban parochial school or an inner ring suburban high school.
Held on the campuses of University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University, the program is designed particularly to introduce students to the broad range of career opportunities within a hospital, by providing students with direct exposure to a variety of departments and the skill sets necessary for success. One favorite this summer - the Pediatric ER!
The program was first held in summer 2013 for rising seniors in the class of 2014; 57% of those students who took the ACT afterward increased their scores by an average of two points. During the 2013-2014 academic year, College Now advisors then met with almost all of these students in their high schools to continue providing college access and financial aid counseling. Indeed, four students from that first cohort have been awarded College Now renewable scholarships!
For the students who participated in the program this past summer, they have returned to their high schools and are eagerly awaiting the results on their ACT tests, which they recently took again. College Now advisors will continue to work with these students as they prepare for their postsecondary paths, many of which will be directly influenced by their experiences this summer in a complex healthcare environment.
Thanks again to University Hospitals for their support of the Early Action for Allied Health program!
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 College Now AmeriCorps Members Give Back
On Saturday, 10/25, College Now's AmeriCorps members partnered with John Carroll University to support the Fatima Family Center's food drive. They collected and packed up canned goods in the Heights areas to provide 100+ Cleveland families with a week's worth of food for Thanksgiving week.
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State GEAR UP Grant Allows College Now to Partner with Cuyahoga Community College West to Provide Intensive College Access Services in Parma
Seventh through twelfth graders in Greenbriar Middle School and Parma High School will now receive intensive college access services, thanks to a seven-year grant the State of Ohio received. The Ohio Board of Regents announced September 30 that Ohio was awarded a seven-year, $24.5 million Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant, aimed at helping at-risk students at four state-wide sites prepare for and achieve success in college. The grant will be administered by a coalition including the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Department of Education and College Now, which will also provide technical assistance.
Parma is one of four state-wide sites written into the grant. GEAR UP funding allows College Now and Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) West to deliver intensive college access services in Greenbriar Middle School and Parma High School. Specifically, College Now and Tri-C West will be tasked with increasing college readiness among GEAR UP students; increasing high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates; and increasing family awareness of postsecondary options, preparation and financing.
Among other activities, College Now will provide students with opportunities for career and college exploration, ACT/SAT preparation, college visits, college and scholarship application support, financial aid counseling. College Now GEAR UP advisors will also counsel students and their families on how to determine their "best fit" postsecondary option to set up students for a successful transition to college and degree completion.
Tri-C West will work closely with the Parma City School District to strengthen curriculum alignment, provide tutoring services as well as dual enrollment options and other activities for campus exposure with the goal of having more students arrive as freshmen prepared for college-level coursework and reducing the amount of time and money students spend on remediation.
This is the third GEAR UP grant in which College Now has participated. The most recent grant was from 2006-2011 in Elyria schools and proved to be a success, with a 36 percent increase in the percentage of students testing at or above grade level in English Language Arts and a 33 percent increase in the percentage of students testing at or above grade level in mathematics. Additionally, the graduation rate at Elyria High School increased nearly nine percentage points, and the college-going rate among Elyria High School graduates increased 11 percentage points over the duration of the grant. Prior to that, College Now participated in the first Ohio GEAR UP grant, which ran from 1999-2006.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to participate in another GEAR UP grant," College Now CEO Lee Friedman said. "We believe our college access expertise and our GEAR UP experience in Elyria will provide a solid foundation for similar success in Parma, a community we have not had the privilege of serving to date."
"The GEAR UP grant will help to strengthen our existing partnership with the Parma City School District," said Dr. Ron Liss, Cuyahoga Community College's Western Campus president. "We will be supporting tutoring programs for students and developing a structure for a faculty exchange between Parma City Schools and Tri-C. This grant will make a positive impact in Northeast Ohio."
"This grant really shines a light on the importance of community partnerships in the education and success of students," says Dr. Edward Roshong, Executive Director of Education at the Parma City School District. "We are really fortunate to have this opportunity with College Now and Tri-C West, right at a time in which our community-driven Strategic Planning is leading our graduation and college access efforts. It will be wonderful to see our students and their families participating in this opportunity. It couldn't come at a better time."
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