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July, 2019
Excel Beyond 211 Celebrates the Graduates of 2019
     
Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars® recognized the academic accomplishments of our students, and also said thank you to our mentors, donors, and supporters at a celebration on July 11.

Excel Beyond 211 is a program started in 2013 to assist participating graduates from High School District 211 in finding college success. The data tells the story:  The national statistics for the average graduation rate of first-generation, low-income students is 11% in 6 years.  In 2018, 27% of our students who graduated high school in 2014 received their college degree in 4 years. The percentage increased to 32% with additional students from this class receiving their bachelor's degree in 5 years. This is almost 3 times the national average.

In 2019, 44% of our students who graduated high school in 2015 received their bachelor's degree in 4 years.  This is 4 times the national average.

Thank you to Alonso Ramirez, Palatine High School counselor, who gave a very inspiring keynote speech, reflecting on his experiences as a first-generation college student and his work with students in the Excel program. 

Thank you to all of our students for working hard, meeting the challenges that college presents, and for being persistent.

Thank you to our nearly 125 mentors who are the heart of our organization.  Each student is matched with a trained adult mentor because everyone needs to have someone they can count on in addition to their parents and family members.

Thank you to our donors.  The scholarships that were awarded to students would not be possible without the generosity of our many donors.    Research shows us that students who receive college scholarships are more successful because they know there is someone who believes in them.  We want to thank our family, friends, and area businesses that have supported our mission.

Meet our Graduates
These are 5 of the fifteen 2019 graduates. We will profile the remaining graduates in the next two issues of this newsletter.

Click on their names to learn more about them.



Mission Statement
Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars® (EB211) is dedicated to mentoring and providing financial information and opportunities to select students who are graduating or have graduated from Palatine, William Fremd, James B. Conant, Schaumburg, and Hoffman Estates high schools in Township High School District 211. EB211 invests in college-ready, first-generation students from low-income families, aiming to increase their college success and completion rates.  Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars® helps these students achieve their educational goals by providing a one-to-one adult mentor to assist each EB211 scholar and by identifying and providing scholarship opportunities.  Excel Beyond 211 was named as the recipient of the 2015 National New Affiliate of the Year Award from Dollars for Scholars for its exceptional service to the students and community that it serves. More information is available at  excelbeyond211.dollarsforscholars.org

Our Board Members

Kathy Carroll
Miriam Castro
Dan Dunne
Bob Ingraham
Dan Miller
Karen Ludwigsen
Sue Quinlan
Nancy Robb
Claudia Sierra-Sokop
Gayle Smity
Pat Stack

You are receiving this Newsletter because you are either a donor; mentee; mentor; volunteer; supporter; District 211 employee; retiree or community member; or family or friend of a Board member.  We hope you enjoy learning about our not-for-profit organization.  

If you are not interested in receiving future editions, please unsubscribe at the bottom of this Newsletter.

Scholarship America Matching Grant
As one of 500 affiliates of Scholarship America, the largest private Scholarship Corporation in the United States, Excel Beyond 211 applied for and received a Matching Grant of $10,000 if we could raise $10,000 in new money for the year.

Due to the generosity of donors and supporters we raised an additional $30,000 this year. 

To date we have awarded $160,000 in scholarships and $23,000 in support funds to our Excel Beyond 211 students. A grand total of $183,000.

By investing in our students, you are making a direct impact on the future!


Samantha Hernandez
Michael Buabeng
Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars | eb211dollarsforscholars@gmail.com

1750 S. Roselle Road, Palatine, IL  60067  | (224) 653-6200