In Texas, a student entering 9th grade has about a 79% chance of graduating from high school. That same student has, roughly, a 52.4% chance of enrolling at a postsecondary institution and only 19.9% of a chance of completing a certificate or degree program. The rate at which students complete a bachelor's degree is even smaller, and continues to drop when considering a student's race or financial situation.
The job market is increasingly demanding that workers have some type of secondary education. If students are to remain competitive job applicants, they must not only enroll, butgraduatefrom institutions of higher education. More must be done to ensure that all students are prepared to enter the workforce, but first generation and low income students have the most barriers to, yet also the most to gain from, pursing a bachelor's degree.
Our Vision
CollegeCommunityCareer envisions a future with more employed, civically-minded college graduates from the Houston region to better prepare students as the future leaders of our city, state, and nation.
Our Mission
CollegeCommunityCareer fosters a college-going culture with low income, first generation high school students and families. We prepare students for admission to and graduation from a four year university based on these four pillars: college success, leadership development, civic engagement and career discovery.
Our Program
CollegeCommunityCareer partners with area high schools and students beginning the sophomore year in high school until they have completed a Bachelor's degree. Our curriculum is based on our 4 pillars and provides organized instruction through 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.
4 Pillars
College Success
Leadership Development
Civic Engagement
Career Discovery
The 4 Pillars seek to develop the whole student through a progressive three year program where students gain the tools needed to manage all facets of the university experience.
We hold afterschool classes on the students' school site to ensure that students successfully engage in the program. Mid-year workshops and summer sessions ranging from ACT/SAT prep to essay writing to touring colleges are organized in an effort to reinforce topics discussed in class and to ensure students have continuous learning opportunities.
Once students have graduated from high school, we ensure that they successfully enroll into a college/university and support them by maintaining twice a semester contacts, adhering to student created academic and personal goals, and hosting workshops and one on one meetings during school breaks.
Our Students
CollegeCommunityCareer recruits low income and/or first generation high school students in the Houston region. Students will self-select to join the program the spring semester of their sophomore year. We believe the sophomore year offers invaluable opportunities to prepare students for college success. There are no citizenship or academic requirements other than a student's dedication to attaining a bachelor's degree and that the student meets the criteria to enroll in a 4-year university, a minimum 2.5 GPA and is on the Recommended plan.
CollegeCommunityCareer seeks to actively engage parents in their child's application process by presenting parents with relevant, timely information and resources.
Outreach
CollegeCommunityCareer seeks to be a community resource for information about college access and success. Through organization-specific outreach services, CollegeCommunityCareer will tailor information based on the needs and knowledge base of the audience. Outreach partnerships include presentations at community organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters.
