STAFF REPORTS
Gathered to celebrate College Forward receiving a $200,000 Meadows Foundation grant for expansion are Lehman High School College Forward’s (left to right) Keenen Colbert, Jerian DeLano, College Coach Jessi Lane and Cristina Paz. (Courtesy photo)
College Forward, the nonprofit agency that provides college access and college persistence services to motivated, economically-disadvantaged students in Central Texas – including many at Hays and Lehman high schools – has been awarded a $200,000 grant by the Meadows Foundation to support its “AmeriCorps for College Success” project next school year.
More than 150 Lehman High School students used College Forward services this school year, including 65 seniors and 61 juniors. Since its arrival in the district, College Forward has worked with 14 Academy students, 166 from Hays High School and 235 from Lehman High School.
Seven Hays CISD graduates who participated in College Forward, including five from Hays High and a pair of Academy graduates, have completed college degrees from universities that include University of Texas at Austin, Texas State, St. Edwards, St. Mary’s and University of North Texas. Many more are anticipated in the next two years as the large pool of college students complete their degree requirements.
Elsa Hinojosa, former principal at Lehman High School, has high praise for the organization. She says that she “can’t imagine” Lehman without College Forward and notes “the outstanding program has helped so many students with the college application process. Besides assisting with the steps of getting into college, they offer hope and support throughout the college years.”
Lisa Fielder, College Forward’s founder and executive director, says the grant comes on the heels of a significant growth period. The program has expanded to serve 11 Central Texas partner schools this school year (up from seven). Program students who have completed the high school portion of College Forward are now attending more than 60 colleges and universities across the country.
