Applications due Aug. 5 for student support in college admissions process

TeenSHARP is working with the Delaware Department of Education, Capital One and the Arsht-Cannon Fund to launch the Delaware Goes to College Academy, a program that has potential to transform the lives of several hundred students in Delaware. The goal of this program is to help talented low-income youth gain admission into four-year colleges that are a good academic match and on the best financial terms possible.

"The Delaware Goes to College Academy is a very ambitious initiative motivated by our desire to see no student with high academic potential underachieve," said Tatiana Poladko, TeenSHARP's founder and executive director. "We are prepared to work 24/7 to make sure that scholars receive the necessary supports for them to realize their academic goal and reach their potential."

While the state of Delaware has made great strides in increasing the number of students who enroll in college, there remain more students attending colleges that are not best suited to their needs or not enrolling in college at all. Also, not all Delaware students who enroll in college are prepared to take college-level courses. That is why the Delaware Department of Education, the Arsht-Cannon Fund and Capital One have partnered with TeenSHARP, an organization that prepares talented students to gain admission and thrive at the nation's top colleges, to offer high-achieving students in Delaware guidance to gain admission into a college that would be a good fit for them.

"My senior year was my most stressful year yet," said Alejandra Villamares, a coordinator of the Delaware Goes to College Academy and a recent TeenSHARP graduate who will be continuing her education at Wesleyan University in Connecticut on a full scholarship this fall. "It seemed as if everything was at stake for me in this college application process. The pressure would have been unbearable if I did not have 24/7 access to my TeenSHARP college advisor. I am so excited that hundreds of students in Delaware will now have such rare support."

The Delaware Goes to College Academy is designed as a blended in-person and online program to provide students with free, timely, high-quality college admissions consulting. The program will support students through high school graduation and enrollment in college. Through the Delaware Goes to College Academy, participants will have consistent access to highly qualified college advisors who will be prepared to respond to any questions they have within 24 hours.

"This is a chance to help provide talented students with the extra supports they need to seek out the higher education options that are available to them but they might not recognize or know how to pursue," said Shana Payne, director of the Department of Education's Higher Education Office.

The application is open through Saturday, Aug 5. Students, particularly those who are from low-income families, who will be high school juniors and seniors, and who have a 3.0 GPA or above are encouraged to apply. For more information or to apply, go to www.teensharp.org/dgca.