As first-generation students navigate the college process, we can agree that the more resources, the better. But what happens when a student has a community-based organization (CBO) counselor (or counselors from two or more CBOs), a college counselor, and even additional supports in place? Sometimes, a CBO-supported student could feel that they have too many cooks in the kitchen and struggle to know which support systems to access at which times. And in a worst-case scenario, students may even receive conflicting messages from mentors who they consider experts. Add to this the potential to be overburdened with school and CBO commitments, and students with multiple resources have their own set of unique challenges. In this workshop, the presenters will share promising practices learned from collaborative partnerships between the Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program and The Lawrenceville School that help students feel successful with the shared support of their CBO and school.
Guiding Questions:
1) When you work with students, who are the stakeholders who make your job easier (or harder) in your quest to support them? How can you collaborate with the people who are in your corner already and connect with stakeholders who don’t yet understand your mission?
2) Imagine you are a CBO student in an affluent, independent school; what are the challenges you would expect to face and what would you need in order to thrive? Imagine you are a student in a public school setting; how would these challenges change and what would you need?
3) If you work across the desk from a college or CBO counselor, what makes the relationship succeed or not?