The ‘23-’24 year marked our 10th anniversary! As our community celebrated this milestone, we also began planning for the many exciting moments and years that remain ahead
In Fall 2023, we launched a new strategic plan, which aimed to double our program size and impact in just two years Before growing though, we took time to strengthen our foundation, adding key members to the team including staff, leadership and partners We welcomed Ismail, Kamore, Kariy, DeMario and Ian to the College AIM staff, the first three of whom are College AIM alumni and help ensure that student experiences continue to guide our work
At the same time, we were grateful to secure support from new partners including The Goizueta Foundation, The Tull Charitable Foundation, and The Lewis H Beck Education Foundation, who have helped us create the foundation necessary for growth in years ahead
Top moments from ‘23-’24 included our College Admit Days, when we saw our students earn hundreds of acceptance letters and more than $1 million in scholarship offers,
and Signing Day, where nearly 400 students announced their college destinations Huge thank yous go to Inspire Brands, State Farm, and Shipt for making these events possible
The year also included challenges, namely the national FAFSA Fiasco In the face of significant delays though, our team doubled down on student support We advocated with the National College Attainment Network, proposing solutions to the Department of Education We also received significant funding from ECMC to support our team’s FAFSA completion efforts Our staff worked around the clock, and ultimately 74% of seniors at College AIM partner high schools completed the FAFSA, compared to just 54% of students at large across Georgia
As we move forward, we ’ re energized by all that our students continue to achieve and are excited for what the future holds Thank you for being a part of the College AIM family and for your unwavering support, this year and always
With much love and gratitude,
SAM ALEINIKOFF
OUR WORK
MISSION
College AIM helps Greater Atlanta students achieve their ambitions through expert college and financial aid coaching, thoughtful college and career exposure, and by dismantling systemic barriers to higher education.
VISION
College AIM envisions a day when every student in Greater Atlanta can equally access and achieve postsecondary success and the opportunities it affords.
College AIM partners with public high schools to help students find the right postsecondary fit and enroll at technical, two-year and four-year colleges TO COLLEGE TO COLLEGE
3,000+ 3,000+
TOTAL STUDENTS SERVED DURING THE 2023-24 ACADEMIC YEAR
A typical College AIM student is:
TALENTED, CREATIVE and MOTIVATED FIRST in their family to attend college EAGER to learn, grow and succeed
Once students graduate from high school, they become our College AIM Collegians, and we continue to provide individualized support through college graduation. THROUGH COLLEGE THROUGH COLLEGE
DOLLARSANDMENTORS DOLLARSANDMENTORS
College AIM provides the students who need it most with one-to-one mentoring and gap scholarships so they can graduate from college debt-free
College AIM advocates for structural changes that will make the paths to and through college more equitable for our students and so many others CREATING SYSTEMIC OPPORTUNITY CREATING SYSTEMIC OPPORTUNITY
Hernán Gallegos, President* Manual Quality Assurance Engineer, Onshape, a PTC Business
Jamesia Craig Director, Success Program & Partnerships
Joanne Santivasci Director, Development & Communications
Kamore Campbell* Scholarship Coach
Mishana Carson* Postsecondary Success Coach
Sam Aleinikoff Founder & Executive Director
CAMERON CAMERON
Madness in Me Madness in Me
As a child, I always gravitated towards theatre and the dramatics. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to find myself within film; it was my safe space, a place where I could be and create whatever my mind could imagine My favorite film was Alice in Wonderland with my favorite character being the Mad Hatter I connected with the Hatter because of the complexity of his character When watching the movie, I fell in love with the way he expressed himself to anyone and carried himself with such spunk. I was inspired by his character. He was bold, erratic, eccentric, and spontaneous He was bold enough to be himself and show his gifts to the world despite the judgement that came with that The Hatter inspires me every day to be who I am, no matter how the world may see me. A quote I live by from the hatter is that “All the best people are crazy. ”
I learned to express myself as a child when I found an interest in performing When I entered high school, I was not fully comfortable with allowing myself to be vulnerable and open to being a black gay teenager in a society that only tolerates my being. After some time in high school, I joined drama club in hopes of learning to project my passion into something that could inspire others My desire has been to perform for those who can see themselves within me; a black boy with a vivid imagination Later, I found an interest in cheerleading, something that I never thought I would do but it gave me a sense of purpose and guidance. Cheer gave me a new view of who I am. Someone who enjoys the essence of performing and bringing joy to the crowd I learned to be a leader and someone who values his connections with others When I am cheering, it is like I am on stage just as when the Hatter is making his infamous hats My body feels a spark that reflects my emotions and when it is all over, I never want it to end; it just feels right.
I was always uncertain about who I was or what I wanted to do with my life Much like the Hatter, I thought I could be a jack of all trades, so I joined ROTC, culinary arts, and even art, but after successfully accomplishing all those endeavors, I still felt this lack of purpose.
I knew that acting was my passion. Being able to express myself through unique and complex characters and I don’t use the word “expression” lightly I express myself everyday through my clothes and my hair and in doing so it has allowed me to see that my dream is meant to be shared with other. It would be a disservice to myself if I were to let my dreams die because we all have aspirations and if we let them wither away then essentially, we ’ re letting ourselves die as well I see myself on a stage and on a tv screen I see success as an actor because that is who I am meant to be Not for myself but for the little black boys who don’t see themselves when they turn on their favorite tv show.
I want to use my god given gift to give hope to those who don’t see light on the other side Pursuing a career in the entertainment industry will be nothing short of difficult and heart aching but I know the benefits of being a representation of what can be achieved despite your background, sexuality, or your color will be a feeling that is irreplaceable. I am willing to sacrifice to be the ultimate version of myself I hope that I can unlock that version of myself at your university I hope that I can release all of my personas through the dramatic arts, hence allowing the thespian inside of me to be expressed on stage and on screen.
2023 - 2024 2023 - 2024
AUGUST 2023
Hernán Gallegos, a College AIM alumnus, was selected and now serves as College AIM’s Board President. Hernán joined College AIM at Towers High School in 2014, earned a full scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at Tufts, completed his Master’s, and now works as an engineer in Boston. Hernán also founded and sponsors the BLEST Scholarship to support graduating College AIM seniors during their college transition
College AIM seniors visited several colleges and universities including Georgia Gwinnett College, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Piedmont Technical, Georgia Tech, and Albany State. These visits are a vital part of our access program, giving students a firsthand look at college life.
OCTOBER 2023
DECEMBER 2023
College AIM established an official partnership with Rhodes College, creating an opportunity for two College AIM students to receive full-ride scholarships each year. Sedarian and Zyeshia from McNair High School were the Class of 2024 recipients
SEPTEMBER 2023
During our Senior Success presentations, students connected with the College AIM staff, learned more about the college admissions timeline and set goals for the year ahead!
NOVEMBER 2023
College Admit Days: Our annual event continues to get bigger and better. We brought over 25 colleges, universities, and postsecondary programs together over a three-day period to allow our seniors to apply and get accepted on the spot College AIM students earned more than 800 college acceptances!
JANUARY 2024
Success coaches began their one-on-one meetings with each senior to offer personalized support for their college transition They work closely with students from acceptance to college completion
FEBRUARY 2024
With support from College AIM coaches, four Class of 2024 seniors were named Dell Scholars each receiving a $20,000 scholarship, a Dell laptop, and comprehensive support to ensure success through graduation and beyond
College AIM joined SACAC Legislative Day at the State Capitol with Georgians for College Affordability to advocate for a more equitable postsecondary system, including a need-based financial aid program in Georgia
APRIL 2024
JUNE 2024
Through our partnership with CareerSpring, College AIM hosted interns for the 2024 CareerForward Internship program. They helped collect and analyze data for our Career pilot program and co-submitted a successful grant with our Executive Director.
MARCH
We spent two d Washington, D legislators and of Education to improving coll including strea doubling the P 2029, and expa benefits for co
At the Class of 2025 CAPS Mentor/ Mentee Match Day, our new cohort of CAPS Scholars met their mentors, connected with their coaches and established program expectations.
JULY 2024
MAY 2024
-Off Celebration ason with ames, gifts, from our quipping able skills for r in college
Supporting students on the path to college
During our College Signing Day event, four seniors were recognized for each earning more than $1 million in scholarship offers. From
left: Ibrahim (Goucher College), Breana (Goucher College), Sedarian (Rhodes College) and Danielle (University of Michigan)
PROGRAMMING & RESULTS
Since our inception in 2013, 1,724 students have completed the College AIM access curriculum. Over that time, students have continued onto colleges across the city, state and country, collectively having earned more than $100 million in grant and scholarship offers.
PRE-COLLEGIATE PRE-COLLEGIATE WORKSHOPS WORKSHOPS
Workshops from 9th through 11th grade that lay the foundation for the college application process. Topics include: Mapping College to Career, Building Your College Wishlist, The College Application Process and Why College?
COLLEGE EXPOSURE & COLLEGE EXPOSURE & RELATIONSHIPS RELATIONSHIPS
Tours this year included Clark Atlanta, Middle Georgia State, Georgia State, Georgia
Gwinnett, Kennesaw State, UGA, Georgia Tech, Albany State, Gordon State, Fort Valley State, Georgia Piedmont Technical, Goucher College, George Washington, Howard, American, Western Carolina, & Fayetteville State
PARTNER SCHOOLS
COLLEGE & FINANCIAL COLLEGE & FINANCIAL AID COUNSELING AID COUNSELING
Expert individual counseling for 12th graders to help students build college lists, complete applications, access financial aid and earn scholarships.
COLLEGE ADMIT COLLEGE ADMIT DAYS DAYS
Picture a college fair, but rather than just learning about colleges students apply, get admitted and even earn scholarships on the spot In 2023-2024, 25 colleges participated in our College Admit Days, yielding more than 800 college acceptances and a staggering $1 million in scholarship awards for our students
During the 2023-2024 academic year, we provided more than 4,700 hours of individual counseling to a total of 429 high school seniors. In our 2024 class, 99% were students of color (82% Black, 8% Latinx, 6% Asian, 3% Multi-Racial) and more than 95% were eligible for the Pell Grant.
ABDOUL
College AIM Alum
Cornell University, Class of 2024
McNair High School, Class of 2020
SUCCESS
Supporting students through college graduation
PROGRAMMING & RESULTS
College AIM's first cohort of students matriculated to postsecondary programs during the fall of 2015 Since then, more than 1,423 College AIM students have continued on to pursue technical certificates and diplomas, and associate and bachelor's degrees.
FIGHTING
FIGHTING SUMMER MELT SUMMER MELT
College AIM staff provides intensive outreach during the summer between high school and college to ensure that students make it to campus in the fall. Programming includes text-based interventions, near-peer coaching, and our College 101 curriculum
A FEW OF A FEW OF
ONE-ON-ONE ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT SUPPORT
Our Succes regularly o We visit them and stay in t and social these cha provides pe financial, and to help stu
COLLEGIAN COLLEGIAN GATHERINGS GATHERINGS
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
ALEXANDER ALEXANDER
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 2027 TOWERS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2023
Alexander, a CAPS Scholar and Towers High School alumnus, is a Computer Science student at Georgia State University Passionate about robotics and programming, he founded GSU’s chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, helping students develop STEM skills and career opportunities His proudest achievement was taking members to the national conference in Anaheim, CA where they were exposed to several internship and career opportunities. Despite his busy schedule, Alex remains dedicated to College AIM, volunteering at workshops and fundraising events each year.
CAROLINE CAROLINE
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 2027 TOWERS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2023
Caroline, a Towers High School alumnus and Criminal Justice major at Georgia Southern University, is on a path to join the police academy and become an FBI profiler Caroline is actively engaged in her college community, exploring clubs and extracurriculars that help her expand her network and knowledge Her love of learning and positive attitude are driving her success both in and out of the classroom.
ALICIA ALICIA
ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 2027
STONE MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2023
Alicia started college with a clear plan to succeed. Passionate about nursing, she pursued an associate’s degree at Albany while working full-time. Despite challenges, she earned a 4.0 GPA during her first year, receiving the Highest Ranking Student Award and a Certificate of Achievement. After earning her associates degree, Alicia plans to switch her focus to a bachelor’s in Healthcare Science, allowing her to test into the nursing program. She is motivated to carry on the legacy her grandmother began: “I want to become a nurse to help those in need. My grandma, who was a nurse in Jamaica, had to give it up to raise six children after moving to the U S ”
CAPS Scholars opened bank accounts with Synovus Bank, kicking off a new partnership to help students build financial skills for college and beyond.
Dollars and mentors to help students graduate debt-free
HIGH SCHOOL GPA BETWEEN 2.5–3.2
STRONG DESIRE TO EARN A POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIAL
ELIGIBLE FOR FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIES TO ATTEND COLLEGE
FULL-GAP FULL-GAP SCHOLARSHIP SCHOLARSHIP
Renewable scholarship to fill the gap between the cost of attendance and financial aid, allowing students to graduate DEBT FREE
EMERGENCY EMERGENCY FUNDS FUNDS
Access to emergency/ impromptu funds while in college for food, books, or other educationrelated costs.
MENTORSHIP MENTORSHIP
1:1 mentorship before and throughout each student's postsecondary journey to help navigate the path to graduation.
The CAPS Scholarship is a partnership between College AIM and The Merancas Foundation, created to support our students who need it most.
CHRISTIAN CHRISTIAN
MCNAIR HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2025
SHAKIRA SHAKIRA
COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER COLLEGE AIM ALUM & ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Christian (left), a Class of 2025 CAPS Scholar, was paired with Shakira in May 2024. Shakira, a graduate of Towers High School (2018) and Wesleyan University (2022), has a lot of lived experience to share She and her mentee have been working together on college visits, applications, FAFSA and more. So far, Christian has been accepted into Middle Georgia, Georgia Southern and Albany State University.
The Georgians for College Affordability Steering Committee met with state legislators during SACAC's Legislative Day at the Georgia Capitol. Creating more equitable postsecondary opportunities
POLICY PRIORITIES
For over a decade, College AIM has supported students in navigating postsecondary paths filled with challenges. Since 2020, we ’ ve been working to improve the system, engaging students and partners to create better postsecondary opportunities for College AIM students and beyond.
THEPROBLEM THEPROBLEM
The Pell Grant once covered nearly 80% of the cost of attendance at four-year colleges. Now it covers only 32%.
THEPROBLEM THEPROBLEM
Georgia is one of only a few states in the country that does not provide aid to students based on financial need.
THEPROBLEM THEPROBLEM
Undocumented students are barred from UGA, GA Tech, and GA College, charged out-of-state tuition elsewhere and denied HOPE, Zell Miller & federal aid.
WHATWE’REDOING WHATWE’REDOING
College AIM students and staff partner with the National College Attainment Network. With their support, we meet with legislators to advocate for doubling the Pell Grant and other federal college affordability measures
WHATWE’REDOING WHATWE’REDOING
College AIM is part of Georgians for College Affordability, a grassroots coalition of college counselors, state legislators, and policy analysts. Together we advocate for college affordability measures in Georgia, including the creation of a need-based financial aid program
WHATWE’REDOING WHATWE’REDOING
In 2023-2024, College AIM worked to embed this priority in all of our state and federal advocacy work, ensuring that our coalitions' efforts around Pell Grant expansion and need-based aid in GA are inclusive of undocumented students
FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
College AIM is committed to thoughtfully guiding and fiercely supporting students to and through college and into a career. Our goal is to build a sustainable model to serve students for as long as they need us. For the 23-24 fiscal year, revenue exceeds expenses, enabling us to expand program staff and double the number of students served in 24-25.
REVENUE
College AIM was honored to receive a grant from students in Emory University’s Philanthropy Lab course
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS
College AIM is deeply grateful to all those who contribute to our students' successes. The investments made by our donors, volunteers, and partners have a truly life-changing impact.
$100,000+ $100,000+
$50,000 - $99,000 $50,000 - $99,000 AmeriCorps
Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network
The Fraser-Parker Foundation
$25,000-$49,999
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
DeKalb County School District
Inspire Brands
John & Cathie Crawford
John H and Wilhelmina D Harland Charitable Foundation, Inc
Mailchimp
Sartain Lanier Family Foundation State Farm
$10,000-$24,999 $10,000-$24,999
AEC Trust
Debley Inc
Emory Philanthropy Lab
Margaret Graff & Richard
Higgins
Shipt, Inc
$5,000-$9,999
Blake’s on the Park
Delta Community Credit Union
Anonymous
$1,000-$4,999 $1,000-$4,999
Cali Bottom
Charles H Wesley Education Foundation
Christine Tryba-Cofrin
Emani & Joelle Fenton
Hernán Gallegos
Jason & Lindsay Wettlin
Jay Steele
John Aleinikoff
Jon Christiansen
Joseph Bernheim
Michael Rosenzweig & Shelli Bank
Rachel Cohen & Alex
Aleinikoff
Robert M. and Marilyn R.
Nerem Charitable Fund
Shoshana Aleinikoff & Nathan
Kittle
Southern Association for College Admission Counseling
