WHAT IS COLLEGE TRACK?

to say. Writing gives me the voice to say it.” While he found a lot of support from his middle school and high school teachers, Troy also connected with College Track during this renaissance.

“I believe College Track has helped me grow to become the person I am today,” says Troy. “It’s made me more determined, driven, and motivated. I can say that if it wasn’t for College Track, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.

Where is he now? The day he spoke to us for this story, Troy was sitting in College Track’s Oakland headquarters, about to wrap up his summer internship, which bridged both the New Orleans and Oakland sites. Under his arm were the anthologies his writing has appeared in. A few days later, he was flying across the country to start his second year at Bard College in upstate New York. From where he started – displaced by Hurricane Katrina and unable to read at age 12 – the ground he’s made up is a testament to his resilience and will. “The challenges I’ve overcome have made me realize that pain is only for the moment, but quitting is forever. So quitting is not actually an option.”

He credits College Track, with helping him win a full-ride POSSE scholarship to attend Bard. “They really helped me out with that,” he recalls. “I was one of only 20 students, out of 659, to win.” He also feels that College Track steered him toward a college that’s a great fit. “First of all, I love the diversity at Bard,” says Troy. “Also, being a writer, I love the mountainous area. Writers need a space to think and learn, and Bard gives you that.”

When the opportunity to intern at College Track arose this summer, Troy jumped at the chance. “It’s important for me to give back to a program that supported me,” he says. During his internship, Troy worked with students in College Track’s new African American Male initiative. “I got the chance to work with a group of African American students with diverse perspectives,” says Troy. “I was able to teach them African American history, discuss poverty and racial issues, share important articles by black writers, and give them information about people like Jean-Michel Basquiat.

The whole internship experience has made me realize it’s much better to give than to receive. It makes you feel successful, doing something you really love, and it’s shown me there are other kids out there, like me, who are willing to learn and work hard to get to college.” Ultimately, he says, the internship has helped bring his future goals into clearer view. “It’s really jump-started my enthusiasm to become a 5th-grade teacher,” says Troy.

As Troy sets his sights on that vision, it seems fitting to close with words from yet another published piece of writing (his credits are growing): “I hope to inspire children and adults and to let them know that if they believe in themselves, they can create a life of unrestricted possibilities.

[ABOUT COLLEGE TRACK]

OUR VISION

All students in our nation will have the opportunity to earn a college degree.

ABOUT COLLEGE TRACK

College Track is a national college completion program that empowers students from underserved communities to graduate from college. From the summer before 9th grade through college graduation, our 10-year program removes the barriers that prevent students from earning their college degree by providing them with comprehensive academic support, leadership training, financial and college advising, and scholarships. We teach them the skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond.

College Track started in 1997 and currently serves over 1,600 high school and college students in East Palo Alto, Oakland, San Francisco, New Orleans, Colorado, and Los Angeles. Over our 16-year history, 92% of our high school seniors have been accepted to four-year colleges and our college graduation rate is 2.5 times the national average for low-income students*.

OUR VISION FOR GROWTH

We aim to increase our impact by changing the lives of individual students. In doing so, we create a ripple effect that leads to generational impact and transforms low-income communities. By demonstrating dramatic results for students in regions across the country, our goal is to become the standard-bearer of college completion.

By 2016, College Track will double the number of students served to over 3,000 and increase the number of college graduates to over 300. Within 10 years, we will serve 10,000 students and increase our number of college graduates tenfold.

By focusing on strengthening quality, broadening scale and deepening sustainability, we will serve more students at our existing sites and replicate our model in communities across the country.

*As defined by Pell Grant eligibility requirements. Pell Grant is a federal need-based grant for low-income undergraduates, which wasreceived by eighty-one percent of College Track students in 2012-2013.