America East Educators Provide Insight on Mentoring At CFES National Conference - AmericaEast.com

America East Educators Provide Insight on Mentoring At CFES National Conference - AmericaEast.com

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)