ScholarShot students and advisors at a campus lunch check in
You’ve seen them — those videos of teens receiving their college acceptance letters. As a young person leans in toward their computer surrounded by friends and family, the screen suddenly changes and the group begins jumping and screaming. The student has achieved his dream by getting into the college of his choice.
The videos are thrilling to watch, but they don’t tell the full story, says Lake Highlands neighbor Christina Etri. A better indication of future success would be video of the same student four years later, holding his diploma high in the air while friends and family cheer.
Etri, a former language arts and AVID teacher, is now director of institutional improvement for ScholarShot, a nonprofit founded in 2009 by business professionals, educators and community volunteers alarmed about the large numbers of students — particularly first-generation teens — dropping out of college. In Texas, 9 out of 10 at-risk students accepted to college drop out before earning their degree.
Etri says there are myriad reasons these promising students drop out after demonstrating so much potential. As the first in their family to seek post-secondary education, many lack advisory support back home. Some are needed as income providers for the family, especially if unexpected complications, such as family illness or job loss, arise. Others become frustrated by difficult coursework or are just plain homesick. Etri says “matching” with the right college is job one.
“It’s not about finding the ‘best’ school,” she tells ScholarShot students, “it’s about finding the best school for you.” High schools are lauded for placing first-gen students in elite four-year universities, but academically — and financially — that’s not always the best fit, she says.
Dan Hooper, founder of ScholarShot, agrees.
“Kids are not being advised correctly,” he says bluntly. “These students are bright and capable, but that doesn’t mean every student needs to go to a big-name school. Every year, kids are being advised to go to schools they can’t afford. The worst we can do — the absolute worst thing — is to produce a dropout. Because when a kid drops out, they almost always have a hold at the departing school so they can’t get their transcript to transfer anywhere else, and the grants are frozen. Now, it’s game over. It’s not their fault. It’s a toxic set up — 52% of Texas high school grads enroll in post-secondary programs, but only 22% achieve a certificate or degree.”
Hooper, who left consulting with Integrated Services Inc. to create Scholarshot, says many at-risk students benefit from studying for two years at Dallas College, where coursework is free. Too many are enticed by colleges far from home, where they sign up for grants and loans they may struggle to repay.
“Student loan debt now exceeds $1.7 trillion. That’s more than Americans owe in credit card, auto or home equity debt,” says Hooper, who estimates that most students who apply for his program are underfunded for four-year schools in Texas by $4,000-$16,000 per year — even after grants, loans and family contributions. He calls the rising student debt crisis “a ticking time bomb,” a burden threatening to hold graduates back long after they’re gone from their college campus.
ScholarShot developed GapApp, which any student may use to find the college or program which best fits their financial and educational profile. Punch in your grades, test scores, geographic preference, degree interests, family’s ability to contribute and a few other factors, and voila — colleges are listed with red, yellow and green lights to indicate your likelihood for success. Click here and you’ll find links to scholarships. Click there and you’re directed to each campus website.
ScholarShot selects 50 “scholars” each year from applicants in Dallas County and contiguous counties, and graduates from Richardson ISD currently make up 22% of total ScholarShot students. About 74% are on track to earn bachelor’s degrees. There is no GPA requirement to apply, and students are selected on a case-by-case basis, depending on their financial need, college plan and demonstration of good old-fashioned grit and willingness to work toward their goals. Funded by contributions from foundations, businesses and individuals, the nonprofit provides up to $6,000 in financial assistance to help with tuition, books, supplies and transportation. Academic counseling is provided by advisors who are Scholarshot graduates and work full time to ensure students are thriving. Whether they are driving to campus for a lunch check-in or staying connected via phone call, email or text, academic advisors understand the unique challenges these students face.
“Our program is very hands-on,” says Hooper, who touts the program’s focus on teaching students to consider not just what they want to achieve, but how they’ll make it happen. “We have roughly 160 active scholars right now and a 90% degree completion rate. These are amazing success stories from kids who’ve learned to advocate for themselves.”
ScholarShot is currently pilot testing a high school curriculum written by Etri to teach financial literacy and preparedness for college and career. Lesson plans help students assess their own skills, abilities and interests in a quest to determine realistic college and career options. They study various grant and loan programs, noting which pay tuition, rent, groceries and transportation — and which do not.
“Many kids have no clue how to create an actual budget for college or life after high school,” says Etri. “We talk about what it takes to be a good student, whether you’re at a two-year vocational or four-year school, the kind of life balance that you need to have, how to prioritize. We call it maximizing your post-secondary success. The curriculum takes them from A to Z, and it includes how to write a resume, how to fill out the FAFSA, how to fill out a college application —everything all in one.”
Etri and Hooper have noted one universal predictor of success, whether their scholars are studying to earn a one-year vocational certificate or a four-year degree — persistence.
“We can enroll all the kids we want, it’s whether or not they can persist that determines whether they can succeed,” says Etri. “What we provide through the curriculum and through our advisement are alternative pathways to the same end. These students just don’t know exactly how to get there. You can’t be what you can’t see.”
And who benefits from the program?
“When a kid is successful after high school, we all do better,” says Etri. “We tell the kids, ‘When you do better, your family does better. When your family does better, we all do better. Our economy does better. That’s how we’re connecting the dots.”
The application for ScholarShot opens October 1. You may donate here.
Meme courtesy of ScholarShot.
