After school program focused on consistent college prep leads to early acceptances at Cardozo Education Campus.
By: Jasmine Coombs and Matthew Estabrook
Early action decisions are rolling in for the seniors at Cardozo High School! Lana Learn’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program has been delivering high-quality, personalized and consistent college prep tutoring to seniors at Cardozo Education Campus.
College prep tutoring includes education on topics such as building a college list, exploring financial aid options, and writing personal essays. Additionally, students receive one-on-one help figuring out application portals, obtaining letters of recommendation, and crafting effective responses to application questions. By establishing relationships with students in individualized settings, we have created a positive, productive environment for our program participants. As a result, we have developed a cohort of regularly attending students who are all eager to apply to multiple colleges. Our efforts early in the school year have led to exciting results for our students in the early action college admissions cycle.
On December 12th, 2023, George Mason University released its early action admissions decisions. All three of our 21st CCLC participants who applied early to GMU were accepted. They also received over $190,000 in combined scholarships. Last month, we interviewed Feysal, one of our seniors at Cardozo Education Campus applying to GMU. We are pleased to announce that Feysal received an incredible $48,000 scholarship from GMU. Congratulations, Feysal!
Students in our 21st CCLC program have also been accepted to Towson University, Bowie State University, Catholic University, and SUNY Oswego. We are excited to report more acceptances when admissions decisions roll through again in the spring!
Data helps identify student needs
As the seniors continue to work towards college acceptances, the 21st CCLC program is beginning to explore college and career aspects with the underclassmen. We recently surveyed the students about their current college and career knowledge. Of the students surveyed, 100% understand that an education is necessary to pursue their future career goals. However, less than half (43%) know what college they want to attend or understand the application process. Similarly, only half (50%) of the students indicated that they know where to look for additional college and career information. To set these students up for success, our curriculum in the spring will delve into these subjects. Additionally, we are planning a few exciting events, such as speakers and a college fair!