Before the fall college semester starts, Osceola educators are racing against time to stop high school grads from vanishing into summer melt.
According to the National Association of College Administration Counseling, up to 20 percent of students who plan to go to college give up during these few short months.
NACAC states that between high school graduation and the first day of college, students must navigate a maze of forms, fees, and orientation events.
Take Stock in Children is making a difference by aiding their students throughout the summer.
“It’s a melt if a student does not begin college as planned,” said CEO of Take Stock in Children of Florida Bethany Lacey.
Lacey said students with extra challenges have to climb over much higher walls to make it across the bridge from high school to college.
“When our students are in high school, there’s a lot of structure and support,” Lacey said. “But once they graduate high school, they’re adults, and many times, the sort of idea is, ‘Oh, they’re adults. They can do it on their own.’ But we know that students still need a lot of support.
“Our goal is to try to help eliminate some of those barriers by providing additional resources and coaching and to make sure that they are truly ready to start, which is a huge accomplishment,” Lacey said. “Getting accepted into college is a huge milestone, but it isn’t the finish line, and our goal is to help them get all the way to the finish line of graduation.”
Incoming freshman to the University of Florida biology major Alexis Vu said Take Stock has provided two very notable resources to help students navigate through the summer melt process and transition period.
“Notably, the college success coaches email quite frequently with subject lines that are catchy, like ‘Don’t leave money on the table,’ and it’ll catch your eye,” Vu said. “I’ll look at it and be informational of email about financial aid and ensuring that students have completed the FAFSA to make sure that we receive our financial aid package.”
Vu said Take Stock’s AI text assistant, Sunny, has been a huge help through her senior year and into the summer by sending timely reminders about deadlines and student portal updates.
“I’ve been reminded by Sunny multiple times, a multitude of times, for example, Sunny asked, ‘Oh, have you checked your student portal?’,” Vu said. “I checked, and I had to follow through to ensure that all of my SAT scores were submitted, which was a requirement for UF to actually continue enrollment in the fall.”
Vu said it has helped her stay reminded throughout the summer and help coordinate meetings with her Take Stock mentors and college success coordinator.
Sunny is a closed-system AI built with comprehensive data on all 40 Florida colleges and universities, allowing it to send personalized information, like specific application deadlines, based on where a student is enrolled. Lacey said Sunny serves 7,000 Take Stock alumni enrolled in our college and career program.
“Sunny is an excellent resource, but it’s not a replacement for human connection,” Lacey said. “We strongly believe in the power of human connection. And so Sunny just helps us figure out more quickly.” Lacey said.
Lacey said Sunny is a closed knowledge system they made two years ago that has been adapted to the Gen Z way of talking.
“About 52 percent of students that graduate high school do not start college on time, but a Take Stock student starts at 92 percent,” Lacey said. “And then 73 percent of our students are graduating from college, and that is 2.5 times higher than their peers in the state of Florida that come from similar backgrounds but do not receive the same support that Take Stock provides to students.”
Vu said her transition from high school to college has been a lot less confusing.
“Although my mom did attend college, the time from when she attended to the time I’ve attended is completely different,” Vu said. “So, the way that financial aid packages look or the steps after, such as orientation and enrolling in classes, it’s all just a little bit new and all a little bit different.”
“The problem is students get lost in the crowd,” Lacey said. “So, part of our job is not to duplicate support that the colleges already have, but to connect those students to those colleges.
Lacey said if you can find early success, your chances and the likelihood that you’re going to stay engaged and complete and persist all the way to the finish line.
“It’s great that you got into college, but you got to finish,” Lacey said. “You got to get your degree because that is what disrupts the cycles of poverty. We want our students to get jobs where they can make livable wages and then be contributing members of society. And so that’s really what we know breaks the cycles of poverty.”
Vu said having someone to support and guide you is amazing.
“I think having that person where you guys can together collectively look for an answer because, again, the process is difficult,” Vu said. “It’s tricky. It’s convoluted. So, I believe that being with somebody is better than going through it alone.”
