College Access and Career Readiness
CACR activities include mentorship, internships, academic and professional skill building, and college and career exposure. The focus of CACR is to empower students in West Philadelphia to successfully prepare for and connect with postsecondary pursuits that will positively impact their lives and their community.
Junior Jump Start: Juniors who want to attend a 2- or 4-year college are matched with Penn students. They meet once/week for 8-10 weeks, learning about the college search and application process. Students learn about college-related terminology, the connections between majors and careers, and financial aid. By the end of the program, students will have a list of the schools that they want to apply to in the fall.
College Application Coaching: Seniors who are applying to 2- or 4-year schools are matched with Penn students. They meet once/week for 8-10 weeks to work on completing at least 4 college applications by the beginning of December. During the second semester, they work on how to make the transition to college academically & socially, how to ask for help once on campus, and how to manage their money at college.
GEAR-UP: GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) brings college student tutors/mentors into local public high schools to work with 9th grade students in the classroom and/or after-school. GEAR UP's goal is to increase the academic performance of students, increase the high school graduation rate, increase post-secondary enrollment and increase student and parent knowledge about post-secondary access.
Penn Medicine Pathways: Penn Medicine Pathways - Emerging Careers Program is a collaboration between Penn Medicine and the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. It works to connect recent graduates from West Philadelphia high schools to employment opportunities with Penn Medicine. The program, which started in spring 2022, recruits students from Paul Robeson, William L. Sayre, West Philadelphia, Mastery-Shoemaker, Martin Luther King, and West Catholic High Schools.
For more information, please contact:
Theresa Simmonds, Training and Technical Assistant Coordinator for Post-Secondary Success Programs - theresae@sas.upenn.edu
