Improving high school graduation rates and college readiness must be an essential part of our community’s efforts to increase college degree attainment. We are diligently working to ensure the next generation graduate high school and are college-ready. Too many of Nevada’s youth are dropping out of high school and we have stepped up to help.

 

No Opportunity Wasted (NOW) is an innovative, educational initiative that helps prepare

8th through 12th grade students graduate high school, enroll and succeed in college.

Formed in Reno, Nevada, the program meets monthly for seven months on the campus

of the University of Nevada Reno. Culminating the college prep program is a tour in the

spring of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the country.

 

We know that students need to learn how to properly write an essay, for instance,

so that a school will desire to extend an invitation to the prospective student.

They also need to learn test-taking and preparation skills and leadership and

interpersonal skills. We want the students we work with to attend a college

that will further prepare them to achieve bigger and better dreams. We mainly

work with those who have not even dreamed of the next step of college yet, thinking

it is beyond their reach. We know that college isn’t beyond their reach!

 

Between 2010 and April 2017, more than one hundred students have participated in the college preparatory program – 84 of those students have participated in the HBCU tour, 31 are returning students – 25 students are currently enrolled in UNR and other colleges across the United States – 14 are first generation.  In May 2016, NOW’s first alum graduated from Virginia State University with an engineering degree. As of April 2017, $586,600 in scholarships have been offered to NOW students. NOW’s college prep program is extremely valuable to the community, and to underrepresented minority students in particular.

 

We work alongside the Washoe County School District to help improve student overall ACT/SAT scores by teaching test-taking strategies and providing test replication.

 

Since writing skills are vital for college students (and people in general), we teach essay writing, interviewing and resume writing workshops which provide students real strategies to improve and polish their writing and interviewing skills for college entrance, exams and scholarship applications.

 

During our intensive workshops, we also provide a college-like atmosphere.  Student’s share a room with three other participants, there are daily leadership and personal development sessions, and integrated opportunities for students to understand and implement travel etiquette, self-responsibility, time and money management, and budgeting through a non-stop itinerary.

 

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This is what you can make happen with your gift of $1,500 to $10,000:

 

As of May 2017, our current funding priorities are:

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·       $1,500 supports professional English and math teachers for the SAT, ACT, and essay   writing college prep workshops. It also helps give students a chance to learn the significance of the historically black colleges and universities we have allied ourselves with and why they are important. We take students on a tour of these educational institutions.

 

·       $10,000 makes it happen for more students and helps us in our outreach programs

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Contact Barbara Bolton, Executive Director to discuss these exciting grant opportunities: info@hbcunow.com or (775) 525-1835.

 

To make a grant from your Community Foundation Donor Advised Fund, call Tracy Turner at (775) 333-5499 or go to www.nevadafund.org.