More than 100 high school seniors learned the importance of finding a good college fit at a Peer Leader Academy hosted by College Summit. On Tuesday at New River Community and Technical College’s Ghent campus, students learned how to implement activities in their schools that will help their peers create a plan for education beyond high school. Attendees received tips on what to ask on a college visit and how to coach peers and set goals at the Academy on Tuesday. These students, called Peer Leaders, also attended a four-day workshop this summer.
“Peer Leaders are the foot soldiers fostering college-going cultures in their high schools,” Jon Charles, Executive Director of College Summit, said. “They support fellow seniors in finalizing their college lists, as well as improving and submitting college applications.”
Alisha Carte, Senior and Peer Leader from Valley High School, shared about what she learned, “There are a lot more things to do with a college tour than just walk through and sit in on a class. There are questions to ask admissions representatives and no question is wrong. Letting go, although hard, is always needed to blossom and prosper into the future.”
Students and educators from Fayette, Raleigh, McDowell, Mingo, Webster and Wyoming counties attended the Academy.
College Summit is a national nonprofit organization that helps high schools raise their college-enrollment rates by providing all students with a course in postsecondary planning, training teachers and counselors to build college-ready culture, equipping the most influential students in the school to help their peers apply to college, and helping school leaders utilize data to manage the school-wide postsecondary planning and college enrollment process. The local College Summit region serves more than 8,500 students in 11 counties in West Virginia and one school district in Pennsylvania. Nationally, College Summit works with 170 high schools in 12 states through partnerships with school districts.
