The Textbook Stipend Project has been a very rewarding venture for Project Brownstone. So far we've completed the first semester of college with our students. They showed great enthusiasm and an interest in their studies. They're energized by their new surroundings and new friends.
We were fortunate to have the input of a Guidance Counselor in assisting with our choice of the right students that fit the criteria we look for. Not only do they have the inside track on who is qualified, they also have firsthand knowledge of the personality traits and characteristics that thrive in this setting. I was lucky to make the acquaintance of a counselor at an after school party held by a friend. We immediately forged a connection that has been fruitful and helpful to our process. She supplied us with two of our first three candidates.
Presently, we've been blessed with a grant from the West Harlem Development Corporation to expand our program. We have enough funds to increase our numbers by four students. This is great news! While four students out of thousands doesn't sound like much, it is the beginning of something that can grow enough to accommodate as many students possible. So we forged forward with our plans of expansion only to reach a dead end!
Something I think of as a win-win situation seems to have built-in limitations. We did our research of the schools that fall under the aegis of Community Board 9, a large swath of West Harlem, and immediately began emailing the Guidance Counselors. The subject of the email is "Scholarship Opportunity For Your Students." Maybe I'm oversimplifying, but that is the type of benefit that most students transitioning to college would be happy to have. Most students look high and low for scholarships to subsidize portions of the education expense involved. A perfect opportunity....or so I thought.
I have yet to receive one response to the emails that were sent. I even went so far as to resend in the hope that the message would gain some traction. Well, it hasn't. That forced me to question what and how these counselors are 'guiding' students. I spoke to an academic professional about this and he said that most of them are overwhelmed rendering them ineffective or they just don't care. I'm shocked! I always thought the role of the counselor is to find ways to enrich and edify the existence and future of students. They are there to guide students to their next moves... in theory. In practice, it's not happening.
The moral of this story is that it's up to parents to investigate who the people are 'guiding' your children. I cannot stress this enough. Many parents in the district can really use the financial help so you have to hold the counselors' feet to the flames as to what opportunities are out there that will help in their transition, and what type of advice they give your children. Parents have to be proactive in this pursuit because I would really hate to see a great benefit like the Textbook Stipend Project disappear because of lack of participation.
We're all in this together!
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