Over 250 students in grades 10th and 11th from across the state will participate in the annual Conquering College Admissions conference hosted by TeenSHARP and the University of Delaware this week. This event represents a unique partnership between our flagship University and a college access non profit organization to introduce Delaware’s talented underrepresented youth to pathways to college and connect them to the resources and programs at TeenSHARP and the University of Delaware. The conference is unlike any other college event held in the state: it sets a high academic standard for the students in a candid manner while also introducing them to colleges with generous financial aid in and outside of our state.
During the conference students will hear from the representatives from two Delaware public colleges – Delaware State University and University of Delaware. They will also hear from admissions officers at the University of Virginia, Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, and American University. Students will also attend how-to workshops on financial aid (how to fund college education), application process (how to decide what colleges to apply to and how to write college essays), and college prep (how to get ready for college).
“This is a rare opportunity for high school students in Delaware who are first generation to the college application process or who may lack necessary knowledge and support to navigate this process to get the inside scope on what they need to be doing to be in the best position possible to have options in their senior year,” said Kim Lopez, the curator of the event, and a director of the statewide college access program called Delaware Goes to College Academy offered jointly by TeenSHARP and the Delaware Department of Education.
TeenSHARP is a regional organization headquartered in Wilmington, DE that is on a mission to bridge the persistent disparities in college access and success by preparing talented African American and Latino students to attend and thrive at our nation’s top colleges. This mission is in service of a bold vision that one day the diversity of those occupying our nation’s highly-skilled jobs and highest leadership positions will be as rich as the diversity of our population. TeenSHARP uses proven techniques refined over the past 10 years to bridge disparities in college access for low-income students and students of color. At TeenSHARP, we are proud to report that our unique approach has produced incredible results over the years with 100% of our scholars successfully pursuing a 4-year college education and with 95% of the scholars being admitted to selective colleges and universities every year.
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In New Castle County the conference will take place on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 on the University of Delaware campus in Newark, DE (Clayton Hall). In Sussex County the conference will take place on Wednesday, March 11th at the CHEER center in Georgetown, DE.
