A college-readiness fellowship in Palm Beach County continues to help low-income, high-achieving students gain access to top-tier colleges and universities. The program鈥檚 fourth annual Education Fest is the group's way to celebrate their student鈥檚 tenacity amid the pandemic.
The signature part of the event, the competitive speech contest, features TED Talk-style presentations by students who place a spotlight on issues that affect society.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e given presentations on outside play time versus screen time. They鈥檝e given presentations on the rise of domestic violence during the pandemic ," said Christine Sylvain, the founder and executive director of Path to College. 鈥淥ur winner last year talked about the prison system and the punishment system and the way that it鈥檚 racially, often, motivated and unfair.鈥�
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The students faced personal challenges themselves, many of whom lost jobs during the pandemic or couldn鈥檛 afford Wi-Fi for school assignments.
鈥淚 know one student that I worked with was taking care of three younger nieces and nephews while he was going to school during the day,鈥� Sylvain said. 鈥淪o those are the challenges students that we work with had to face.鈥�
has been around since 2017. Sylvain says 85% of Path to College graduates have been accepted into top-tier schools. She says expanding one鈥檚 network, and the importance of 鈥渃ulture and connection,鈥� is just as important as enrollment into higher education.
Mentors at Path to College, a cadre of mid-career professionals who tutor and volunteer their time for their underserved students, play a huge part of the program鈥檚 mission toward education equity.
鈥淗elping them [students] think about timelines, goals,鈥� Sylvain said. 鈥淗elping them soundboard career aspirations. Helping them think through their personal statements, which college they go to.鈥�
Sylvain is a former alternative prep teacher who spent years prepping students for the SAT and advising students from various socioeconomic backgrounds. Her work often focused on 鈥渦ndermatched鈥� kids who have, as Sylvain describes it, 鈥渆qual talent, equal drive, equal ambition, but obviously not equal opportunity.鈥�
鈥淭here's a phenomenon, it's called undermatching. They are students from low income communities. They have incredible scores, incredible GPAs, but they just don't apply to selective colleges,鈥� Sylvain said.
She said despite being qualified, high-performing, undermatched students are reluctant to apply to competitive schools due to lack of access to proper information, financial support, and confidence getting through the admissions process.
According to a 2018 by American Educational Research Association, undermatching was highest for Black students at 49% and those students were less likely to complete their degree in four years.
Sylvain says Path to College鈥檚 mission is to level those students up and 鈥渢urn them into top-tier candidates that those amazing schools want at their schools and to help them through the process.鈥�
Notre Dame. Cornell. The University of Southern California. Florida State. These are just a few of the schools that Path to College graduates have been accepted to or enrolled in. Sylvain says academic excellence is just one component to overall success.
鈥淭oday's employers, they're savvy. They want people who come with skills, with degrees, and then also those critical thinking skills and soft skills,鈥� she said.
鈥淪o I think it's very important for students to learn all that they can in and outside of the classroom, as well as lean on their networks and develop a network as much as possible that can bring you outside of the village that you were born into and expand your village, too.鈥�
The in-person and online is taking place May 26 at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach.
