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Mission Statement
We provide college scholarships and mentoring to low-income, high-potential students.
The purpose of the College Success Foundation is to open educational opportunities by increasing the number of college graduates among low-income youth. CSF accomplishes its mission by offering an integrated set of academic, informational, and financial supports to low-income students and their families and by advocating for increased college readiness and college access. CSF’s targeted populations are low-income and under-represented students, with focused supports for males, males of color, and foster youth.
CSF focuses its work in five major areas:
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Early College Readiness Programs to Develop High School-Ready and College-Aware Middle Schoolers
CSF provides early career and college awareness beginning in 7th grade. At this level, CSF offers high school and college planning information, encourages students to begin exploring possible career options, and pushes them towards college- and career-ready academics. CSF also works with the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, school districts and other college access providers to ensure low-income 7th and 8th graders sign up for early scholarship commitments through Washington State’s College Bound Scholarship.
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College Advising & Mentoring Programs to Produce College-Ready High School Graduates
In high school, CSF’s college preparatory advisors (CPAs) provide proactive academic advising, college planning information, grade monitoring and referrals for additional interventions for students in its programs. Based in schools, they collaborate with teachers and guidance counselors. CPAs also help assess college readiness by working with community colleges to administer college placement testing as early as 10th grade, and they assist with test preparation, transcript reviews and monitoring. They also recruit mentors for students to help them with the college-going process and assist seniors with the college application process, in addition to providing financial aid planning and education. College visitations and college-level scholar speakers are important components of the program, as are summer academic readiness programming through residential college experiences that introduce students to college environments.
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Scholarship and College Programs to Remove Financial Barriers and Increase Retention and Graduation
CSF’s advising, mentoring and academic supports continue as students transition into college. CSF counsels students to apply to colleges that retain low-income students and provide academic planning to attain a bachelor’s degree. CSF requires its scholarship recipients who score below grade level on their college placement exam to take college-level developmental or beginning course sequences for the appropriate subject immediately upon college enrollment. CSF provides mentoring from college faculty and staff for each scholar for their first two years of college through contractual agreements with colleges and universities. CSF offers services and supports for students transitioning from community colleges to four-year colleges including advising, admissions, financial aid, major academic readiness and relocation. CSF seeks to reduce financial barriers low-income students face by awarding need-based scholarships. CSF also manages written agreements with college partners and awards scholarships as “last-in” scholarship/grant funds.
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Alumni Services to Transition to Career and Post-College Life
The CSF Alumni Program helps scholars prepare for the transition into the professional world, and encourages its alumni to give back to the communities in which they were raised. Alumni services include alumni workshops, lectures and networking opportunities to develop relationships and to learn and prepare for graduate education. Additionally, CSF offers career workshops and personal development programming, consistent and regular communication and on-campus events in conjunction with college partners. CSF collaborates with companies that not only promote job and internship opportunities but also value the diversity and the potential of students to increase their preparation for and success in applying for employment.
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Policy, Advocacy and Coalition Building to Advocate for Policy Change and Create a Statewide College Access Network
CSF serves as a key proponent for policy changes that will enable more low-income students to graduate from high school college- and career-ready. The organization is actively engaged in building a statewide coalition that will support college access and completion for low-income students. Through its policy agenda, CSF seeks to:
- Support an increased commitment to college readiness, more rigorous college preparatory curricula, and improvements in instruction.
- Catalyze improved alignment of secondary and post-secondary supports that cater to an individual student’s level of readiness.
- Increase need-based financial aid and college access at the state and federal levels.
CSF is leading efforts to organize the Washington College Access Network that will bring together college access providers, education agencies, colleges and universities, schools/districts, and the workforce development community to coordinate and enhance supports and services for low-income students.
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