NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           CONTACT:      Sarah Idowu or Natalie Rule

April 29, 2008                                                                                        651.917.3525

Admission Possible Seniors Setting the Pace in College Scholarship Awards

13 Gates Millennium Scholarships and 34 Horatio Alger Scholarships Awarded

ST PAUL, Minn. – Low-income seniors participating in Admission Possible’s programming in the Greater Twin Cities are winning national and local scholarships at rates higher than even last year’s successful Admission Possible seniors.  Already, Admission Possible seniors are averaging 5.5 private scholarship applications per student, and more than 150 scholarships have been awarded to Admission Possible seniors this year, including the nationally recognized Gates Millennium and Horatio Alger Scholarships.

Scroll down for audio files of Admission Possible seniors and Gates Millennium Scholarship winners Rahmo Omar and Kiana Williams.

With this news still setting in, Admission Possible founder and CEO Jim McCorkell is marveling at the amazing 13 Gates Millennium Scholarships that have now been awarded to current Admission Possible seniors.  Last year, in the entire state of Minnesota, only nine Gates Millennium Scholarships were awarded with four going to Admission Possible seniors.  This scholarship –supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - provides recipients with a full ride to college and in certain fields of study can cover a recipient’s costs all the way through a doctorate degree. 

“College tuition can be overwhelming, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds,” said Jim McCorkell, Admission Possible CEO.  “Scholarship funds are one way to face that challenge, and for Admission Possible students to earn the attention of these competitive scholarship programs is truly outstanding.” 

“My Admission Possible coach is so great; he's like a part of my family.  When things get tough, he tells me to never give up and smile,” said Rahmo Omar, Admission Possible senior at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis.  “When I found out I was a Gates scholar, I was so happy that I couldn’t even talk. Gates means a golden ticket to my future.”

Last year’s Admission Possible seniors won more than $1.2 million in private scholarships, averaging out to approximately $4,000 per student in private scholarships above and beyond the state and federal financial aid and loans students received to pay for college.  The college access newsletter Postsecondary Education Opportunity reports that $4,000 is the approximate average unmet need of low-income students, so for many Admission Possible students, these scholarships match that need.

Admission Possible’s coaches – who work to help seniors achieve admission to college – also work with the 566 seniors in the program to help them fulfill their financial needs for college.  Coaches assist students with the complex Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process, as well as, helping seniors identify private scholarships to which to apply.  The Admission Possible after-school curriculum for seniors even includes how to compare financial aid packages being offered and how to think through different forms of financial aid from grants to loans.

Admission Possible seniors turned in impressive performances in other local and national scholarship contests.  Thirty-two of the 42 $4,000 Horatio Alger scholarships awarded in Minnesota - made possible by the Carl & Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation – went to Admission Possible seniors, and another two Admission Possible seniors won the prestigious national Horatio Alger scholarship which included a trip to the Washington, D.C., awards ceremony in April.

Two of the four $4,000 Children’s Defense Fund of Minnesota Beat the Odds scholarship winners this year were Admission Possible seniors who shared their personal stories of beating the odds at the CDF’s dinner in February.  Nine of the 15 St. Paul Optimist Club scholarships awarded in the fall went to Admission Possible seniors.  Additionally, each year Admission Possible students become competitive contenders for other generous Minnesota-based scholarship providers including the Wallin Foundation, Page Foundation, St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and many college-based scholarships, all to be awarded later this spring.

“We are blessed in Minnesota to have so many people who care about the future of our kids,” said Jim McCorkell.  “The gifts and encouragement from Minnesotans coupled with the perseverance and effort of our students are inspiring.”

ABOUT ADMISSION POSSIBLE

Admission Possible is a nonprofit organization founded in Minnesota in 2000 and dedicated to helping promising low-income high school students prepare for and earn admission to college by providing ACT/SAT test preparation, admissions and financial aid consulting and guidance in the transition to college.  Admission Possible currently serves 1,200 students at 15 high schools in the metro area and will serve 1,300 students in 16 high schools in the 2008-09 academic year.  Since 2000, 98 percent of Admission Possible students have been admitted to college.

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