It didn’t take long for word to spread about the new St. Louis Graduates High School to College Center, the first of its kind in the St. Louis region.
From now until August 18, the center will offer free college counseling and financial aid assistance to recent high school graduates and their families.
On Saturday, June 1, the day the center officially opened, a dozen students had already begun to pack the small retail storefront space. The space, donated by Washington University, is located at 618 N. Skinker Blvd. in the Delmar Loop.
Faith Sandler, executive director of the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and co-chair of St. Louis Graduates, said she hopes the center will be “a positive influence across the street from the often-parked nuisance abatement vehicle.”
“We have handed out over 10,000 cards to graduating high school seniors,” said Shannon Julion, a Missouri College Advising Corps college adviser at McCluer High School. “We’ve used social media. We know once the students hear about it, they’ll start coming in.”
Julion attended a preview open house with one of her former counseling students, Daisha Tankins, a recent McCluer High School graduate. Tankins, who was accepted by over 20 schools, opted to attend Spelman College, where she plans to study psychology. Tankins said she will be the first person in her immediate family to attend college and admits financial aid concerns have her feeling overwhelmed.
“The preparation of going off to college, it’s still so much that I’m very naïve about,” she said. “I don’t have my counselors anymore. And for this opportunity to be right around the corner, it’s amazing.”
Her financial aid concerns could have kept her from heading to Atlanta, Ga. in the fall. She could have joined an estimated 10 percent of high school graduates nationwide with intentions to enroll in college who fail to do so for various reasons.
This national phenomenon is referred to as the “summer melt,” an issue the center hopes to address. The center will target first-generation and low-income college-going students who have limited access to resources.
“The High School to College Center is essential to helping achieve our vision that all students in the metro will have access to the resources necessary to complete a post-secondary degree by 2020,” Sandler said.
Cheryl Polk, executive vice-president and chief of strategy and engagement of United Way of Greater St. Louis, is a member of the St. Louis Graduates Steering Committee. She said the effort to address “summer melt” is a community challenge that requires a community solution. She credited the center’s participating partners: College Bound St. Louis, Wyman Center, College Summit – St. Louis, Missouri College Advising Corps, Citi, St. Louis Public Schools, St. Louis Community College, The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and Deaconess Foundation.
“This is truly a collaborative effort,” Polk said. “There’s no one agency, no one organization, that could have done this on its own.”
The center will staff 57 volunteer counselors, at last count. Laura Winter, project manager of St. Louis Graduates, expects more people will sign up to volunteer as the summer progresses.
Julion will be joined, among others, by Wanda Garner, a guidance counselor at Beaumont High School. At least three counselors will be available on a daily basis, including one from the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, to answer financial aid questions.
Some counselors will only be available on certain days. Every Tuesday, for example, St. Louis Community College will have a representative available. Every Wednesday, Washington University student Dylan Simonsen will be on hand to assist students.
“The St. Louis Graduates High School to College Center will help students through the steps they need to take to ensure their financial aid is in place, they are enrolled in classes, and they are ready to go in August,” Sandler said.
Counselors and financial aid advisors are available to meet with students daily from noon to 5 p.m.. Learn more about the St. Louis Graduates High School to College Center at www.StLouisGraduates.org or call 314-932-6956.
Follow this reporter on Twitter @BridjesONeil.
