Building A Support System
Where to Look and Who to Ask
Everyone has a story to tell. And, everyone needs some form of support, encouragement, reinforcement, reassurance and of course, inspiration! Whether you are the first in your family to graduate from high school, a school athlete with Division I goals, are experiencing a uniquely personal or family circumstance, or are in need of a special type of support services, there are people, programs, organizations, resources, and tools to help you along the way.
What If I am a First-Generation student?
There’s something special about being the first in your family to go to college, career school, or a service academy because being in first place means that you’ve won! No longer will this family member be on the sidelines. He/she followed a career path leading to eventual success:
Did you know? Of the 7.3 million full-time undergraduate college students attending four-year colleges and private institutions across the nation, about 20% are the first in their family to go on to college.
Learn More: I’m First http://www.imfirst.org/
What If I am a Student Athlete?
As a student athlete, it is imperative that you understand your role and the responsibilities you have to yourself, your education, your team, and to your school. Learning and following the guiding principles of your high school team is the first step. And with plans on playing sports in college, whether its Division I, II, or III, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as the NCAA, is your “go-to” organization to assist and support you with the skills you’ll need to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom , to and throughout college, and beyond. Please remember to double-check with your school counselor, college advisor, and coaches for a list of your high school’s approved core courses and to view the GPA, SAT, and ACT sliding scales.
Did you know? According to the NCAA, when measured against the student body, school athletes do graduate, overall, at rates higher than their peers, and it’s a fact that these rates climb each year. There are more than 460,000 NCAA school athletes, and fewer than two percent (2%) will go pro in their sport. Whether you become a part of this 2% or not, the life lessons and experiences resulting from participation in high school and college athletics have been shown to inspire the student athlete toward success in every sought after area –the area of higher education, the area inside the sports arena, or in whatever area they’ve selected as their career.
Learn More: The NCAA Eligibility Center, http://web3.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA_EMS.html#
What If I am an Undocumented Student?
You are considered “undocumented” if you were born outside of the United States, and at the present time, you are not a U. S. citizen or legal resident. If you are undocumented, you probably have a great deal of questions that you want answers to right away, especially as it relates to applying for college and/or career school as well as obtaining financial aid to attend the school of our choice. Let’s begin by going over a few important facts to help you get started.
Did you know? You can actually attend a college or a career school. There are no federal laws, which prohibit you from being able to attend a college or career school in the U.S.? In[WU1] Maryland _________________. If you are thinking about attending a school out-of-state, one thing to note is that there are, in fact, a few states that have placed restrictions on undocumented students attending public colleges and career schools. Also, in some cases, there are some college and career schools that have their own rules and regulations on admitting undocumented students. It’s imperative that you complete research regarding the policies for the particular state and the college and/or career schools you are interested in.
Learn more by visiting the website for each agency listed below:
What If I have special needs, need accommodations, or require special education services?
All students need the right tools and the right environment to be successful in school. Similarly, a student with a disability or have special needs may require varying types of accommodations and/or adjustments to maximize his/her skills, talents, and abilities. Whether it is a learning disability or a hearing impairment, no disability should stand in the way of heading off to college, career school, service academy, and, when completed, on to that dream employment opportunity.
Did you know? There are colleges across the nation, which do offer career-planning opportunities. Bowie State University located in Maryland is one prime example since it offers both comprehensive and specialized programs for their students. Some college programs are taking it a step further by incorporating career assessment and planning into the daily coursework.
What If I am a First-Generation student?
There’s something special about being the first in your family to go to college, career school, or a service academy because being in first place means that you’ve won! No longer will this family member be on the sidelines. He/she followed a career path leading to eventual success:
- Attended the postsecondary school of their dreams, a firefighter service academy.
- Obtained a certification or licensure in a career pathway.
- Secured a well-paying and respected job as a natural disaster response technician.
Did you know? Of the 7.3 million full-time undergraduate college students attending four-year colleges and private institutions across the nation, about 20% are the first in their family to go on to college.
Learn More: I’m First http://www.imfirst.org/
What If I am a Student Athlete?
As a student athlete, it is imperative that you understand your role and the responsibilities you have to yourself, your education, your team, and to your school. Learning and following the guiding principles of your high school team is the first step. And with plans on playing sports in college, whether its Division I, II, or III, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as the NCAA, is your “go-to” organization to assist and support you with the skills you’ll need to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom , to and throughout college, and beyond. Please remember to double-check with your school counselor, college advisor, and coaches for a list of your high school’s approved core courses and to view the GPA, SAT, and ACT sliding scales.
Did you know? According to the NCAA, when measured against the student body, school athletes do graduate, overall, at rates higher than their peers, and it’s a fact that these rates climb each year. There are more than 460,000 NCAA school athletes, and fewer than two percent (2%) will go pro in their sport. Whether you become a part of this 2% or not, the life lessons and experiences resulting from participation in high school and college athletics have been shown to inspire the student athlete toward success in every sought after area –the area of higher education, the area inside the sports arena, or in whatever area they’ve selected as their career.
Learn More: The NCAA Eligibility Center, http://web3.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA_EMS.html#
What If I am an Undocumented Student?
You are considered “undocumented” if you were born outside of the United States, and at the present time, you are not a U. S. citizen or legal resident. If you are undocumented, you probably have a great deal of questions that you want answers to right away, especially as it relates to applying for college and/or career school as well as obtaining financial aid to attend the school of our choice. Let’s begin by going over a few important facts to help you get started.
Did you know? You can actually attend a college or a career school. There are no federal laws, which prohibit you from being able to attend a college or career school in the U.S.? In[WU1] Maryland _________________. If you are thinking about attending a school out-of-state, one thing to note is that there are, in fact, a few states that have placed restrictions on undocumented students attending public colleges and career schools. Also, in some cases, there are some college and career schools that have their own rules and regulations on admitting undocumented students. It’s imperative that you complete research regarding the policies for the particular state and the college and/or career schools you are interested in.
Learn more by visiting the website for each agency listed below:
- Immigration Equality-DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) – http://www.immigrationequality.org,
- National Immigration Law Center – http://nilc.org, and
- The National Immigration Youth Alliance http://theniya.org/.
What If I have special needs, need accommodations, or require special education services?
All students need the right tools and the right environment to be successful in school. Similarly, a student with a disability or have special needs may require varying types of accommodations and/or adjustments to maximize his/her skills, talents, and abilities. Whether it is a learning disability or a hearing impairment, no disability should stand in the way of heading off to college, career school, service academy, and, when completed, on to that dream employment opportunity.
Did you know? There are colleges across the nation, which do offer career-planning opportunities. Bowie State University located in Maryland is one prime example since it offers both comprehensive and specialized programs for their students. Some college programs are taking it a step further by incorporating career assessment and planning into the daily coursework.