The 1990s birthed a slew of feel-good movies, the general plot of which involved a rough-cut mentor, inner-city kids and a few obstacles hindering their mutual paths to success. Despite the humor of Whoopi Goldberg in a convent, audiences were touched by the profound impact of Sister Mary Clarence on her misguided kids in "Sister Act." Mr. Holland and his ground-breaking opus affected students in much the same way in "Mr. Holland's Opus."
College Forward, a nonprofit organization working with six Central Texas high schools, has found its success in the classroom to be dependent upon a similar student-mentor relationship - and that's without Richard Dreyfuss.
"These are the kinds of students who have never had anyone tell them that they can," said English sophomore Jeff Guidry of his College Forward proteges. Guidry began his work with College Forward in August 2006 and has since been volunteering approximately 20 hours a week to help economically disadvantaged students enter universities.
College Forward was founded four years ago to guide academically motivated, low-income high school students into, and through, college. What started as a program catering to three high schools - Jack C. Hays, Del Valle and Lehman - has recently expanded to include Georgetown High School and two Austin ISD schools: Crockett and William B. Travis. With 30 coaches and 15 staff members, College Forward strives to provide students with the college savoir-faire that many of its own volunteers and employees never received.
Like so many of the students he helps, program manager Jonah O'Hara grew up on the National School Lunch Program and was the first in his family to graduate from college.
"This is a very personal mission for me," O'Hara said.
To be considered, students must complete an essay and submit necessary financial information. Anyone in the top 60 percent of his or her class can apply, though College Forward focuses on students who come from low-income families or would be first-generation college students. With the addition of its three new schools, College Forward includes 280 students, 55 of whom are now college freshmen or sophomores.
An increasing number of UT students, both undergraduate and graduate, have taken interest in College Forward as an opportunity to give back to those less privileged. Guidry's neighbor at the University of Texas at San Antonio was helped by the program, and recommended it as a volunteer opportunity for aspiring teachers.
Volunteers are first accepted as AmeriCorps members, since College Forward is an AmeriCorps project. They are given 10 months to complete 900 hours of service and are supplied with a biweekly stipend of slightly more than $200. Upon completion of the 900 hours, volunteers receive an educational grant of $2,000 as reward for their endeavors.
The average College Forward coach is responsible for tutoring and mentoring about 10 students in an after-school classroom setting.
"As coaches, we accrue about 20 hours a week," said Guidry. "Of those 20 hours, four are spent in the classroom with the kids, and the others are spent planning lessons, looking up colleges, finding scholarships and talking to students."
Guidry, who volunteers at Hays High School in two-hour slots, makes the 30-minute trek out to Buda twice a week to see his 10 kids. Each College Forward coach is given a skeletal curriculum that can be adjusted to fit the class dynamic. Another a responsibility of the coach is making the lesson interesting enough to keep students coming back.
Government sophomore Preston Achilike finds that his students, mostly athletes, are a little rowdy and it takes a level of flexibility to adapt the lesson plan to their style of learning.
"We were having a problem with kids not listening to each other speak, so my co-coach and I started putting the desks in a circle around the room so that everyone can see who's talking and give them the proper respect," Achilike said. "Now, we've got a little family thing going."
Achilike and his younger brother, Saviour, like so many of their students, are the first of their family to go to college.
"We understand them. We also try to let them know that just because they're in the program, it doesn't guarantee them a place at a college. It's about how much they want it," Achilike said.
In the classroom, it's all about the student-mentor relationship. 2006 Alumnus Evan Sharon had a College Forward student who wanted to be an auto mechanic.
"He was really good at math, so I suggested that he look into mechanical engineering to see if he was interested. Now he's really into that," said Sharon. "Our job is really just to open more doors for these kids so that they have more options."
Achilike seconds that. "We teach them how to do well in college but also how to do well in life," he said. "Are you going to quit because it's too hard? Are you going to stop running because you're too tired? We're trying to push them to do the best in anything they do, including college."
The push seems to be working, as College Forward students boast a 92-percent matriculation rate. And though the national average of retention from freshman to sophomore year of college is 55 percent, the program average is 70 percent.
"We're just happy to be exceeding the national average regardless of socio-economic background," O'Hara said. "For low-income students, college retention is usually in the single digits. We've far surpassed that."
The retention rate reflects a high level of commitment on the parts of both students and coaches. The omnipresent challenges are taken in stride.
"This is an after-school program. We don't really give grades out, and they've just come from long school days; it's tough to always keep the kids coming," Guidry said.
The other coaches agree.
"I never knew the kids I'd teach would have such challenges to overcome," Sharon said. "They're involved in after-school jobs, band, sports, and so just the fact that they're there after a 13-hour day shows a level of dedication."
The dedication seems mutual, as most coaches who start off with juniors mentor those same students through their senior year and into college.
"I couldn't imagine saying 'Oh, well I found a better job, see you later,'" Guidry said. "When I see them pushing themselves for the program - staying after school an additional two hours-it makes me push myself, too. I see their dedication, and it makes me more dedicated."
"These are smart and capable kids, and they should go to college. I'm just helping them get there," he added.
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