Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Institute Guides Students On Path to College

Applying to college is a daunting process for all high-school students, but for over 20 years, Georgetown’s Institute for College Preparation has helped underprivileged students in Ward 7 maneuver the process and find their way to college.

Originally named the Schiff Scholars, the program was founded in 1989 through a grant from the biology department to get students in lower-income areas into the biomedical sciences.

The institute offers intensive preparation for students, who enter the curriculum in the seventh grade and continue through their high-school graduation. Ninety-seven percent of the students in the institute matriculate to college, with 100 percent of those in the class of 2013 having postsecondary options.

ICP Executive Director Charlene Brown-McKenzie explained the mission of the institute as rooted in its outreach to younger students.

“We look at access and success for the poorest and neediest students of the city. How we do our work is really about early college awareness. Preparing young people for college and success is not just something you can do at the tenth or eleventh grade,” Brown-McKenzie said.

Currently, the ICP invites students from Kelly Miller and Sousa Middle Schools in Ward 7. At both schools, 99 percent of students are on free or reduced lunch.

“We talk about the war on poverty, and that’s really where we look at this educational pipeline and look at college success and college attainment as an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty in the District,” Brown-McKenzie said.

Students are invited to apply for the program if they attend one of the two middle schools and participated in Kids2College, a six-week program for sixth-graders that involves a large number of Georgetown undergraduates who teach a college-awareness program for sixth graders.

The institute’s students come to Georgetown’s campus every Saturday and for eight weeks over the summer for enhanced learning and tutoring. Around 125 students throughout all years participate in the Saturday Academy.

The ICP currently partners with multiple student groups on campus, including the GU Minority Health Initiative that is looking at health disparities in the city. Additionally, the GU Math and Science Hands-On Enrichment group works with ICP students for math and science tutoring.

“It’s been great, over the last few years, to have other university student groups come and participate with our students and our families,” Brown-McKenzie said.

Eight ICP participants have graduated from the university so far, though the institute does not serve as a pipeline to the university. The first graduate was English major DeAngelo Rorie (COL ’00).

“I am absolutely certain that without the Schiff program, I would not have gotten into Georgetown,” Rorie said. “I think one of the key things is that the program afforded us opportunities to be exposed to things beyond our neighborhood.”

Rorie now serves as the director of youth services at United Planning Organization, which leads outreach to low-income residents in the District. Rorie said his experience with the ICP partly inspired him to follow this career path.

“Many of these young people hailed from similar backgrounds, and I was a story of success,” Rorie said. “My existence at Georgetown highlighted the fact that you, too, could come from these circumstances, endure the same strife and make your way through a school like Georgetown.”

The initiative aims to address inadequacies that students experience at schools in the District, which had a high-school graduation of 64 percent, among the lowest rates in the country. In 2013, only 53 percent of low-income students in the District graduated on time.

“Here in the District, many of our schools don’t adequately prepare young people for a school like Georgetown, academically. So much is left up to the school systems, and the education that many young people are getting in the District is not on par or comparable to what many of Georgetown’s enrollees receive,” Rorie said.

Brown-McKenzie said the initiative attempts to provide the opportunities of the average Georgetown student. One particular experience recently added to the ICP was study abroad. In August 2013, the ICP took ninth and tenth grade students on a trip to South Africa, offering the students a global education.

Director of Partnerships and Community Engagement Brenda Atkinson-Willoughby explained how the initiative’s work affects families as well.

“Students and their families, who start out with a vague understanding of the college process, have learned and continue to learn the value of early college planning,” Atkinson-Willoughby wrote in an email. “We often see families who have enrolled younger siblings in ICP and parents who enroll or return to college.”

The initiative continues to evolve, according to Brown-Mackenzie, adapting to national changes in college accessibility.

“This is an exciting time, as we continue to grow and pay attention to what’s happening nationally around college access and success, and how we can be a leader in the work about academic preparation, social and emotional development of our young people,” Brown-McKenzie said.

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