Graduate Persistence Support (GPS)

For whatever an individual participant may seek counsel, we’re always happy to connect. In 1-on-1s, we check in on everything from academic performance, goals progress, feelings of belonging, and more. Countless hours have been spent at coffee shops, in libraries, and on Zoom to discuss topics ranging from college essays to social transitions and everything in between.

While many details of the journey toward a college degree are very personal and individualized, there are plenty of steps along the way that are very much shared. Examples include completion of the FAFSA, preparation for standardized tests, and the need to apply for scholarships. For these topics and more, we host workshops for groups of scholars and/or families to come together to ask questions and make progress on these important processes.

By their final semester of high school, our scholars have the opportunity to visit over a dozen college campuses with us. Of course, college fairs and connections with traveling representatives from colleges act as great connections too, our day trips and overnight trips to various campuses continually prove to be a great opportunity to deepen cross-cohort and -school connections and to truly get a taste of the different types of college options that are available, with everything from mock classes with real professors to panels with 1st gen students to experiences living in the dorms and eating in the dining halls.

With an empowerment-based approach, we recognize the importance of not merely always answering every question or solving every problem when there is an opportunity to build habits of problem-solving and widen the web of support around our participants. This is why we work to build connections on high school and college campuses so that our scholars know they have many advocates who understand and care about them and may be experts in various fields.