PROJECTS
COLLEGE APPS​
Many of our students are either juniors preparing for college, seniors applying for college, or students who have already graduated and are between high school graduation and college. We dedicate a large amount of our time both in and out of meetings to reviewing college essays and writing recommendations for our students.
SAT/ACT HELP
Every Thursday we help students prepare for the ACT and SAT by setting aside a room and a group of mentors whose sole purpose is to help students study for their test in math, writing, critical reading, and other content areas. We also help students register for test dates and apply for fee waivers. If fee waivers are unavailable, we help them pay for the test through donations.
COMMON APP
Many colleges have adopted the Common App in order to make applying to colleges easier for students. The common app is then sent out to more than one college at a time. Michael Trivitte of College Transitions, Erin Ciarimboli and others share the best strategies to fill it out and walk students through parts where they may be having difficulties.
SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE
Since most of our students are not permanent residents, many scholarships and sources of financial aid are unavailable to them. Our mentors help students find scholarships for which they are eligible, including the DreamUS and Golden Doors scholarships. We offer our students $700-$7000 scholarships funded by our generous donors. For two years, we received Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC) "INVEST IN THE DREAM" MATCHING SCHOLARSHIP grants. Unfortunately that grant has now ended.
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DACA/CURRENT EVENTS
Since so many of our students have mixed, TPS or DACA status, they may seek assistance in keeping their paperwork up to date. We discuss any policy changes that might affect them. In some cases, donations help pay for fees they might incur when keeping their documentation paperwork up to date.
GUIDANCE
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U-Lead Athens is a place where students do homework, look for colleges, research majors, fill out job resumes, write application essays, and seek advice from each other and from mentors. We always enjoy a good meal and lively conversation before getting down to work. U-Lead Athens is a place where we find acceptance, camaraderie, support, and friendship.