Ready for the Next Challenge

When Brandon Warren was connected with Communities In Schools, we asked how we could help. And his answer was ready: “Help me get a college degree.” Today, as a freshman at Florida A&M, he’s well on his way.

Now a freshman at Florida A&M, 18-year-old Brandon Warren has always been a go-getter: eager, hardworking and ready for the next challenge, the next open door – knowing he had a strong foundation in his mother and family and the teachers and staff at his school.

You may wonder what Communities In Schools can do for a young man like Brandon, who graduated in May 2009 from Ballou Senior High School in Washington, D.C.

Brandon is a young man on a mission.  He wants to be the first in his family to earn a college degree.  For many bright, talented students like Brandon, the road to college access might seem impassable.  Communities In Schools is committed to making sure college is a viable option for students like Brandon.  When he arrived at Communities In Schools’ door, we said “Welcome to the rest of your life. How can we help?”

“Communities In Schools was very welcoming,” he said.  “They helped me with anything I needed help with, from the portfolio I had to create for college admissions to cover letters, thank you notes, admissions interviews, standardized tests and obtaining transcripts.  Communities In Schools helped me with all of that.”

He took full advantage of the Communities In Schools Student Resource Center, which he learned about through Communities In Schools Graduation Coach, Tynika Young.  Funded by the World Bank, the centers, which are currently in place at four District of Columbia high schools, offer students who may be the first in their families to go to college, a central place for guidance and support as they apply to colleges and choose which they will accept.  Staffed by an intern from Howard University and equipped with computers, the Ballou center allows students to research colleges and get help with applications, admissions tests, essays and portfolios – as well as access the Communities In Schools Charting for Success Curriculum, a college readiness program.

In fact, while Brandon was not a student at risk of dropping out, he did need help navigating the college admissions process.  Being able to take advantage of the Student Resource Center and other Communities In Schools offerings helped Brandon achieve his goal of being the first in his family to go to college.

Communities In Schools also offered more intangible support through staff like Young and Tobeka Green, executive director of Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital, mentoring Brandon as he applied to colleges and decided which to attend.  “Ms. Young and Ms. Green are like mothers and big sisters to me.  I could always go to them and talk about whatever was on my mind.”  Green still stays in touch, he said, through phone calls and mail.  He was delighted to open his mailbox one day to find a care package she had sent.

As a graduation coach, Young helped Ballou students make it to graduation, much as Communities In Schools site coordinators do, providing a mix of academic support, guidance counseling, and information and resources.

Green says that she isn’t able to get to know every Communities In Schools student in Washington, D.C. the way she got to know Brandon, but she’s grateful for the chance when she gets it.  “Brandon is a great ambassador for Ballou.  He is articulate and motivated and takes initiative.  He’s assertive, respectful and optimistic.”  Brandon represents what Communities In Schools wants all students to be – young people with bright futures ahead of them, she said.  She was thrilled when she learned that Brandon chose to attend Florida A&M, which happens to be her alma mater.

It is this mix of academic and life skills that makes Communities In Schools a critical ally for students like Brandon.  In using the Student Resource Center, Brandon found a range of academic services, like help with essays, admissions requirements and application tests.

Communities In Schools staff was also there to help him to prepare for life after high school through guidance on how to write cover letters and thank you notes, and exposing him to social situations like inviting him to a reception where he met Communities In Schools Founder and Vice Chairman Bill Milliken, and also to a Washington Mystics basketball game.

“Meeting Mr. Milliken was a big deal to me.  I thought I wouldn’t get to meet him, but when I did, he was so down to earth and cool.  He gave off a vibe.”  Even more important to Brandon was that he could tell Milliken “wasn’t in this for the money but to help people.”

Brandon hopes he will one day be in a position to offer the same helping hand that Milliken has offered to so many young people through Communities In Schools.  “I want to find a job that will enable me to bolster the economy.  I hope one day to be CEO or president of a Fortune 500 company and then start my own company.”

While he dreams big dreams, he knows he will start out at entry level.  “When I graduate, I’m going to look for a job with an investment or financial company.”  After applying to about 15 schools and being accepted at all of them, Brandon turned down some full scholarships to go to Florida A&M because he appreciated the school’s business program.

Born and raised in the nation’s capital, Brandon has been lucky to have a good role model to whom he’s turned since he can remember: his mother, Staci Council.  “She works at a pharmaceutical company and has always worked hard to give us what we need.”  “We” includes Brandon, his brother Granison and his sisters, Brittany and Julian.

College is exactly where Brandon wants to be.  “The best thing so far is that I am surrounded by people who are like me.  They don’t want to be sitting at home in their old neighborhoods.  They are here to work hard and get a degree.  That’s me.”

January 2010