Celebrating #WhyApply Day Together

I’ll never forget the day I first set foot on the campus of Hampton University, a historically black university located in southeastern Virginia. That will always be a day that lives in my head rent free. Despite the rain, I loved every minute of the tour and could imagine myself there. After being granted provisional acceptance to Hampton University, I participated in a summer bridge program where I completed an extra English and math class. I was then granted full acceptance.

This wasn’t just a first for me; this was a first for my family. As a child, my parents worked blue-collar jobs: my mom worked as a cook, and my dad was a construction worker. With a lot of hard work and dedication, four years later, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. That was no small achievement. I was the first in my family to attend college and earn a master’s degree.

Currently, I serve as a College and Career Counselor at a public charter school in Washington, D.C. As the College and Career Counselor, I see myself in so many of my students. They have hopes and dreams of being the first in their family to earn a college degree and wonder if they’ll even get the opportunity to do so.

It is my student's hopes and dreams that are the driving force for my school’s participation in #WhyApply Day. The annual social media campaign is part of ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC). As the name implies, it’s about encouraging more students to see themselves as college material, submit their applications, and plan for the future. #WhyApply Day provides teachers and staff members an opportunity to share and model those aspirations in pursuing postsecondary education.

In addition, #WhyApply Day and the American College Application Campaign bring special attention to young people from historically marginalized communities. This includes students from low-income families, as well as Black, Latinx, and Native American students, and those who would be the first in their families to attend college. ACAC anticipates that 6000 U.S. high schools and nearly 500,000 students will participate in events around the country this fall that will help young people translate their aspirations into concrete action by submitting those college applications.

It’s important to note that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reverberate and affect young people, and recent data indicate a decline in students applying for college. So, we all have our work cut out for us.

This is only my fourth year at Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy; however, I have served as a College and Career Counselor for 14 years. At Friendship Tech Prep Academy, our ultimate mission is to get our students to and through college. Our students must submit a defined number of college applications, and I work hard to remove the small and large barriers to help them do so.

I faced many barriers when I applied to college as an incoming first-generation college student. I wasn’t aware that students like me were eligible for application fee waivers. In high school, I worked at a nursing home delivering food on trays to the residents to help pay for my college applications. Today’s students shouldn’t have to make such sacrifices to submit an application.

Our school gives kids unique experiences to boost their applications and tell compelling stories about their learning journey. We offer an urban ecology program, so students help to raise bees and sell the honey. The kids wear special suits and learn all the techniques of beekeepers. Can you imagine the application story an urban beekeeper can tell when they apply? We also have a greenhouse where we grow cucumbers, basil, tomatoes, cilantro, and more. We used to raise chickens; however, they got loose and flew the coop. These are opportunities for our students to enrich themselves and build compelling applications when they apply.

In my job, what keeps me up at night is when students miss opportunities. I’m determined not to let that happen. I’ll be busy helping students prepare for college this fall. There are so many steps along the way, but my students make it all worth it.

Recently, I got a text from a former student who is now in college. His message? “Happy First Day of School. #BestCounselor.” That put a big smile on my face. You can be sure I’ll be working hard this fall, as will countless other educators and counselors, to make sure our students don’t miss their chance at higher education and a better life.

As school counselors, our message to students is to put in the work and take full advantage of the opportunity to apply to a range of colleges that will broaden their opportunities and help set them up for future success. Within that advice, we say apply to schools where you can see yourself thrive and even some schools that might push you beyond your comfort levels. By applying, students are creating potential options, some of which may give them a point of reflection and a better sense of who they are and who they want to be.

For more information on how to host your own #WhyApply Day at your school, please visit here.