District Students Gain Instant Acceptance to College

Kwame: No DC student should ever think ‘I’m not college material’

This past Saturday, At-Large Councilmember Kwame R. Brown escorted nearly 150 District students, parents and school faculty to the annual College Round-Up in Tarboro, North Carolina where nearly all students were accepted to various colleges.  This marks the third year running that Councilmember Brown has taken District high school students to the College Round-Up where many students receive on-the-spot offers from a range of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).  The event capped off more than a week of events to raise awareness about higher education including a financial aid workshop at the Wilson Building and a higher education rally at a high school in Northwest, DC.

“What’s important now is that we celebrate the students who overcame overwhelming odds to get into to college,” said Councilmember Brown.  “This year’s Round-Up is one more example of District students exceeding expectations, embracing their future and serving as a shining example to their peers and classmates.”

“I just wanted to officially thank you for what you have done for me and all of the seniors who attended the trip today,” said Darnitra House, a Ballou High School student in an email to Councilmember Brown.  “I enjoyed the experience and I was glad to see that there were so many DC students who actually want to pursue a higher education. You’ve helped us to cast down a stereotype that haunts our generation and our race, and I want to thank you for that.  Thank you for ‘Opening the Door’!!!!”

Students, parents and teachers embarked on the journey at 4:00 a.m.  The College Round-Up is an annual college fair organized by founder Bob Whitehead and Program Director Fay Smith.  This is a unique admissions fair where the application fees are waived allowing graduating seniors to apply to multiple schools in a short period of time.  The event is a flagship program designed to help underserved and underprivileged students obtain a post-secondary education.  Some students acknowledged that they would not have applied to any colleges if they had not attended.

To kick off this year’s Round-Up, Councilmember Brown joined hundreds of students for a higher education rally at the joint location of the Ideal Academy Public Charter School and the Kamit Institute for Magnificent Achievers Public Charter School.  Intended to inspire students to apply for and attend college, the rally was led by students of all ages, parents, teachers and principals who discussed the value of college and the importance of higher education.

This year’s students represented every public high school and many of the public charter schools in the District.  Many of the students also attended the financial aid workshop organized where guest speakers Anwan ‘Big G’ Glover of HBO’s The Wire, Herbert Tillery of the DC College Success Foundation and Ken Howard from the Office of the State Superintendent for Education.  The goal of the workshop was to educate participants on the methods of applying for financial aid both locally (DC OneApp) and nationally (FAFSA).

“No DC student should ever think, ‘I’m not college material,’” said Councilmember Brown.  “We need to remind them that there are so many opportunities out there.  Sometimes college is just a bus trip away.”

For more information or to interview Councilmember Brown, please contact Press Secretary Michael Price at 202-445-4510 or mprice@dccouncil.us.