Students of the Walnut Street YMCA Black Achievers Program have packed their bags for a different kind of road trip during spring break. The program, which provides college readiness and career awareness to African American teens, will embark on a multi-state bus tour to visit colleges and universities, as well as historic civil landmarks in Georgia, North and South Carolina and Virginia.
Navient Foundation, the company-sponsored philanthropic fund, contributed more than $17,000 to cover the cost of the college tour, including luggage and campus interview attire.
“The YMCA of Delaware is very thankful to Navient for their generous contribution to our Black Achievers Program,” said Deborah Bagatta-Bowles, CEO, YMCA of Delaware. “We have some really fantastic students and giving them the opportunity to visit colleges and universities in person is really rewarding and powerful. Some of these teenagers will be first-generation college students and this tour can truly help shape their college choice and future career path.”
Since 1989, the Black Achievers Program has inspired African American middle and high school youth from low-income families to pursue higher education and ambitious career goals. The free program directly engages students and provides mentorship, college tours, SAT prep, workplace tours and weekly workshops on a variety of career awareness topics every Saturday morning at the Walnut Street YMCA. In 2015, 100 percent of the program’s graduating seniors enrolled in college.
“The Black Achievers Program has been helping students unlock their potential for more than 25 years,” said Sheila Ryan-Macie, senior vice president, Navient. “The college tour is a fun, personalized way to get students engaged in planning for college and we are proud to offer our support.”
Educational attainment is a significant factor in financial health, according to new research from Navient and Ipsos. Bachelor’s degree recipients ages 22 to 35 are more likely to be in good or excellent financial health than their peers without a college degree (92 percent compared to 80 percent).
