The road to higher education is being made more accessible for first-generation students!
Roaring Fork PreCollegiate in Glenwood, Colorado, isn’t just a college access program – it is a fortified avenue for aspiring and underserved students to receive the support and resources they need to succeed. The program was designed in 2003 for motivated students in the Roaring Fork School District who have been selected based on a demonstrated commitment to pursuing education after high school and are the first in their families to do so.
First-generation students often face significant challenges in reaching higher education, whether that is due to financial constraints, lack of guidance or academic preparedness, cultural barriers, and more. Overcoming these obstacles requires monetary assistance, mentorship, and inclusive college environments. The community volunteers aid students by providing comprehensive high school and college advising, access to relevant resources, and experiential opportunities that help them choose their best post-secondary path.
The organization hosted a fundraising event on June 24th to continue to support their efforts after 20 years of success in the school district. Dr. Jane represented the Clark family, at which it was announced that 100% of the current graduating class of students have college acceptance letters in hand. That’s amazing!
As someone who did not choose the traditional route of education, I can’t help but wonder whether my own journey could have been shaped differently if programs like these were more widely available to aspiring students. I admire PreCollegiate’s vision to inspire, build lasting relationships, and ultimately believe in the students that they can achieve whatever future they envision. It’s great to see how ideas like this are brought to fruition and generate such a positive impact, as PreCollegiate now serves over 14% of ALL middle and high school students in the district.
The statistics also show that the program is far from all talk, as 98% of the scholars go on to college, and of those, over 80% graduate. There are over 200 program alumni who are now college students across the country. This is an extraordinary achievement, as the graduates total over three times the national graduation rate of other first-generation college students. It is also worth mentioning that many PreCollegiate scholars attend top colleges and universities across the nation or pursue secondary degrees and even PhDs in everything from accounting to law to psychology. This program truly creates the next wave of first-generation innovators!
Just take into account some of the stats from the 52 members of the PreCollegiate Class of 2023: 100% graduated from high school, they received a total of 442 college acceptances, AND they received $312,700 in LOCAL scholarships! Add that to the 420 students enrolled in the program in grades 7-12, and that’s an incredible commitment to making an impact in the local community!
I look forward to seeing how PreCollegiate continues to reinforce its mission and set the expectation of post-secondary education, for not only first-generation Colorado students, but students everywhere!
