Governor Tim Pawlenty Delivers Keynote Remarks to 1,000 High School Students

 

(Minneapolis) In this busy season of proms and graduations, awards nights and athletic banquets, more than one thousand Twin Cities students have their calendars marked for the 7th Annual Admission Possible Year-End Celebration taking place from 9:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday, May 17, 2008, at the  University of Minnesota’s Ted Mann Concert Hall.

 

Of the 566 Twin Cities-area seniors participating in Admission Possible’s two-year college preparatory program, 97% of them already have already been admitted to at least one college for next year, after working steadily to reach important deadlines, arrange for financial aid, receive admittance letters, and make an informed decision. For the many Admission Possible students who will be the first members of their families to attend college, this is an accomplishment well worth a celebration. 

 

“This annual event is truly remarkable,” said Jim McCorkell, founder and CEO of Admission Possible.  “This is a significantly larger senior class than we have had in previous years, and as they celebrate their college-going plans for the fall, our juniors – and recently accepted sophomores – witness that success and can begin to imagine it for themselves as well.” 

 

Though low-income students across the country will enter college at less than one-third the rate of their wealthier peers [Post Secondary Education Opportunity, June 2006], the energy and excitement among the more than 1,000 students attending this event serves to challenge that statistic as it applies to them.  Thanks to the dedication of the AmeriCorps members who coach them throughout the year, and the commitment of the students themselves, there are seemingly endless individual accomplishments to celebrate this spring. 

 

Minnesota’s Governor Tim Pawlenty will make keynote remarks at the graduation Saturday.  “The most important ticket to the future is the quality of education our children receive,” Governor Pawlenty said.  “In this hyper-competitive global economy, it’s more important than ever that students receive education and training beyond high school.  Admission Possible’s record of success in helping students achieve their dreams is remarkable and serves as an inspiration to adults and students alike.”

 

In addition to celebrating the seniors’ plans, much of the day is filled with student presentations in the form of skits and other live performances, many of them gestures of appreciation, while others offer a glimpse of the hopes and concerns that seniors have about their college careers ahead.

  

One of the many students with much to celebrate is Najma Osman, an Admission Possible senior graduating from  Central High School in St. Paul, who will speak on stage at the graduation to her peers. 

 

"This whole graduation thing is somewhat bittersweet because I feel like I've ... built a support group – almost a family – here with Admission Possible, and I'm really happy to be making that next step after graduation and moving on and going to college..." said Osman, who is planning to attend Grinnell College in Iowa in the fall.  "So it's a really happy day, but then I remember that it's over.  But, hopefully it's a new beginning." 

 

The Year-End Celebration is also a time for students, AmeriCorps members, staff, and community supporters to welcome the newly-admitted sophomores to Admission Possible, and to recognize the commitment that juniors have spent on ACT preparation and score improvement throughout the year.

 

This year’s Admission Possible Year-End Celebration is sponsored by the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Office of Admission, Marquette Financial Companies, and  RBC Wealth Management.

 

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.