With the impact of the pandemic and changing landscape of college admissions, educators across the country continue to reflect on how to more effectively support student success. While the past two years have undoubtedly posed many challenges to the education system and for our community, the historic demise of the SAT and ACT has also finally made the admissions landscape more equitable for first-generation students. This was a major victory for College Access Plan as we are and continue to be a student-centered support system whose top priority is to equip first-generation students with the right tools to get them to and through college. Our high school team confronted (and celebrated) these recent admission changes by enhancing our curriculum with new program offerings that combat a great need in college admissions and focus more on holistic admissions.
This past fall semester, we launched the very first College Essay Writing Intensive, a corresponding course to our spring College 101 for Juniors. These free, weekly workshops supported seniors in crafting strong essay drafts for UC, CSU Equal Opportunity Program, and private college admission prompts. Students spent the five sessions identifying which colleges they were eligible for, drafting essays, providing peer-feedback, and learning that writing is iterative. The series proved to be a valuable experience for all PUSD seniors that participated, many of whom shared that they felt supported by CAP advisors and enjoyed writing exercises that allowed them time to identify their core values and brainstorm ideas through mind mapping.
CAP’s College Essay Writing Intensive is the first workshop taught by Daniel Garcia, CAP’s newest Program Coordinator focusing on outreach. Daniel brings so much perspective and experience to the workshop as a first-generation college graduate.
Daniel shared about his teaching experience, “Going into the class, I was a little nervous because it was my first time teaching a CAP course. As the class progressed, I felt so privileged and connected to the students. When I was in high school, I didn’t have much support; a lot of my classmates had access to SAT prep and writing classes, but I didn’t. This was cathartic for me because I was able to be that person for these students.”
This workshop was also a first for seniors who were on campus again for the first time since their sophomore year. Many students even noted this in their personal essays. In an attempt to help students transition back to in-person learning and overcome their fear of writing, Daniel began each class with a positive affirmation for students to repeat aloud: I can, and I will.
And they did! Each week, students matured as writers and developed confidence; many shared that they initially felt anxious and that the class helped them find their voice. One student reflected that she learned how to own her story by writing more authentically, rather than writing about what she thought the reader wanted to hear.
“We did a good job building camaraderie and rapport,” Daniel said. “By the end of the workshop series, more and more students were engaging.”
Daniel also helped students in his workshop navigate the recent standardized test admission changes. Some seniors in our workshop said that they already opted to take the SAT prior to enrolling in the workshop, in case of the added value it would bring to their application. Others expressed that they were relieved they didn’t have to take the exam. As students attend CAP programming, our staff encourages them to prioritize other parts of their applications that hold more weight than the tests, such as their grades and activities. It will take time to respond to this cultural shift, but we remain committed to advising students and celebrating its impact on college access and equity.
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UP NEXT:
This spring, we will be offering our College 101 for Juniors workshop series for the second time at all Pasadena high schools. Juniors can enroll from January 18 to the extended deadline of March 1, 2022 by completing this online application.
College 101 for Juniors (English)
Introduccíon a la Universidad (Español)
Daniel looks forward to teaching our upcoming course, meeting PUSD students, and building relationships to support them through their senior year!
