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Wellington Stars: Sponsor Student Success By Gabby Gregory
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hough Andrew Joseph, Jr. was an exceptional high school football player who received multiple offers to play collegiate sports, he, ultimately, did not qualify academically to attend any of the universities. Rather than giving up, the talented young man enrolled in a junior college and worked hard to boost his GPA. After two years of dedicated time and effort to get higher grades, Andrew Jr. received a scholarship to attend and play football at the University of Louisiana. Through this rollercoaster of a journey, both Andrew Jr. and his father, Andrew Joseph, Sr., learned the ins and outs of not only qualifying and applying for college, but also fostering the motivation to be successful beyond, or even in lieu of, receiving a higher education. Together, the father and son decided that they needed to bring that crucial information back to the kids in their beloved community of Wellington. So, in 2014, the two men created Rico’s Scholarship Foundation with a mission to “prepare young people to make outstanding choices regarding their education and/or athletic careers and lives by instilling in them the values of hard work and dedication.” Since then, the Josephs have led hundreds of students to successful futures. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which is now known as Wellington Stars, is an after-school program that utilizes both individual and group sessions to guide middle and high school students to success through academics, athletics, or both. Andrew, Sr. is the Director of Academics, while Andrew, Jr. is the Director of Athletics. Sessions are held at the Wellington Community Services Department on Wellington Trace, and cover topics like SAT and ACT preparation, FAFSA applications, and academic/ athletic scholarship opportunities. The goal is to get each and every student either accepted to college or graduated from high school to begin a successful career, as most of them come from underprivileged situations and deal with issues like food insecurity and lack of Internet access.
Though some students start the program as late as their Senior year of high school, they should really begin as soon as possible! Wellington Stars is most successful when a student enrolls in the free service as a Freshman and then continues with it for a 4-year period. It is very, very difficult to make a significant change in academic and/or athletic performance within the span of 1-2 years, so getting a head start is vital.
Academic Scholarships For the academic component of Wellington Stars, Andrew Sr. brings in experienced and knowledgable professionals from the community to educate students about college preparation and readiness. He also has key relationships with numerous local colleges, so representatives from each one will come in and speak about specific requirements and expectations for applications, scholarships, and enrollment. One of the most impactful portions of the program, though, is when Andrew Sr. introduces students to former participants who have found success. When former attendees come back, “the currents see that they [the former attendees] were pretty much playing around the same state that they are… it gives them that motivation and a boost that they can do it as well,” explains Andrew, Sr. He goes on to add, “A lot of them don’t think they are college material and that they are not capable of going to college. But once we give them the programs… and take them through and give them that information, then they realize it’s a little bit easier than they thought and that they can do it.”
Athletic Scholarships As a skilled former high school and collegiate athlete, as well as an experienced physical education teacher and football coach for both boys and girls, Andrew, Jr. is expertly poised to guide student athletes to success. For virtually any sport,
In the Fall, Wellington Stars works with local young women in group sessions and young men in individual mentoring sessions. In the Spring, the model shifts, with the ladies beginning their mentorship program and the gentlemen attending group programs. Each session lasts from 3PM-5:30PM. In total, the after-school program at Wellington Stars encompasses 10 weeks of instruction, training, and/or mentorship.
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