Courtesy College for Every Student
Read more at CollegeFES.org
Essex, NY —The America East Universities played a key role
at the annual CFES (College For Every Student) National Conference in Albany,
NY. The two-day event brought together 400 educators, students, community
and corporate leaders from 24 states, representing 200 schools and 50
colleges.
Mentor Coordinators from the University of Maine Tori Fowler
and Keri West, along with University of Albany’s Assistant Athletic Director
Jennifer Svatik led a session on role models and the advantages of using
scholar athletes as a resource. Leaders from the CFES-America East
Conference alliance strategized on building connections and enhancing
relationships between collegiate scholar-athletes and low-income students.
The conference was rounded out by students (grade 7 through
12) from rural and urban schools, where college attendance is becoming the norm
under the influence of educators, their college partners, and the CFES programs
that unite them.
Jackson Mann Assistant
Principal Anita Moore spoke about the benefits of working with partnering
college, Boston University. “Our students look forward to their monthly
mentor sessions,” Moore said. “The students have used the CFES core practice
of Leadership Through Service to coordinate a variety of events and activities,
which helps develop leadership skills, confidence, and college aspirations.”
When Five-Time NBA MVP Bill Russell addressed the gathering,
he emphasized the power of mentoring, one of three core practices of
CFES. “There is no such thing as someone else’s child,” he
stressed. “Each of us is responsible for the youth of our future.”
It’s an idea not foreign to conference attendees, who through their efforts in
their own school communities demonstrate their commitment to CFES’s mission to
put low-income youth on the path to college access and success.
In his opening remarks, President & CEO Rick Dalton
recognized the nine America East universities for their commitment in
partnering with local CFES schools. “This partnership has helped us serve
a critical mass of low-income students, by exposing them to life on America
East college campuses. It’s this kind of exposure that helps students
believe that their dreams can become realities.”
###
CFES is a nonprofit organization based in Essex, NY, that
helps underserved students prepare for, gain access to, and succeed in
college. Currently, CFES works with 200 schools in 24 states to help its
20,000 students move toward college success. Over the last six years, 96
percent of CFES high school seniors have gone on to college. (www.collegefes.org)