Back-to-School 2018-2019: 
 Serving More Students in the Year Ahead

Our Newest Program Opens at Quince Orchard HS

CollegeTracks is full speed ahead with a fourth Access program at Quince Orchard HS. The program will be our second in in the Germantown-Gaithersburg area and was initiated at the request of MCPS Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith. We look forward to working with Principal Thomas and her team and are grateful for the continued support of MCPS and its validation of our program.
 
Former Wheaton HS Program Director Meghan Lynch and Program Coordinator Paula Kalksma (Kalksma left and Lynch right are depicted in the photo below) will oversee the program to ensure a seamless transition and make sure recruitment of juniors is underway quickly. 

We are also looking for volunteers to assist staff. 

With the Quince Orchard program up and running, CollegeTracks anticipates serving 1,100 high school students in the year ahead, with programs in place at Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Watkins Mill and Wheaton high schools all expecting gains in enrollment in the year ahead. 

To learn more about the expansion, visit our website.


College Ready: News from Our Success Team

After a very productive CollegeTracks Summer Institute, the Success team has turned its efforts toward helping 215 first-year students make the transition to college life.  
 
In the 2018-2019 school year, the Success program will serve more than 550 college students. 
 
Coaches are currently checking in with returning students to ensure they stay on track to meet their academic goals and secure ongoing financial aid. The start of the school year is always an exciting but busy time, with many of the coaches traveling to connect with students living away from home for the first time to make sure they are settled. 
 
This year, CollegeTracks students will be represented at Montgomery College, in-state schools such as UMD-Baltimore, UMD-College Park, Goucher a nd Johns Hopkins. Farther afield, incoming students will study at the University of Miami, Muhlenberg College, Boston University, Occidental College, Southern Vermont University and Villanova University. 
 
New this year: CollegeTracks will build its presence at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College, where Coach Nneka Onyilofor (depicted in photo above with Success Scholars enrolled at MC-Germantown) will oversee a program to assist students graduating from our Watkins Mill Access program. 

2017-2018 Successes
 
With Your Support, We Served 980 High School and 415 College Students.
  • 99% of CollegeTracks seniors were admitted to at least one school. 505 seniors submitted 2,124 applications and received 1,542 acceptance letters from more than 300 higher-ed institutions.
  • 95% of eligible seniors submitted a FAFSA. The cohort was offered more than $11 million in financial aid.
  • 215 college-bound students enrolled in the CollegeTracks College Success Program. 
 
Visit the CollegeTracks Website for
 Updates and New Student Stories

Click here to visit our site

WANTED: ACT Tutors To Prep Students for Exams 
CollegeTracks is in large part successful due to its incredible corps of volunteers who do everything from assisting students with the application process, tutoring college students attending Montgomery College and preparing high school students to take standardized tests.  
 
Our high school programs are currently experiencing a shortage of volunteers willing to assist with ACT test preparation. 
 
No expertise is needed. If you have an interest and are available at lunchtime or in the afternoon, our staff will train the right individual to prepare our
students to take the ACT, an important college entrance exam critical to acceptance at many colleges and universities. 
 
Test prep can make an enormous difference in admissions and financial aid outcomes for first-generation and immigrant students who have neither the money for coaching through private test prep services nor parents with the experience to share strategies about how to take the test. 
 
For more information, visit collegetracksusa.org or contact Michele Parsonnet at mparsonnet@collegetracksusa.org
 
COLLEGETRACKS NOW

CollegeTracks changes lives and communities by giving Montgomery County's 
low-income, first-generation-to-college students the chance to go to college or technical school with enough financial aid and support to help them persist to graduation.

This 2018-19 school year CollegeTracks is serving with more than 1,100 high school students from Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Quince Orchard, Watkins Mill and Wheaton high schools as well as 550 college students.

For more information, Visit our Website



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