For most middle-class families the college application process is daunting. However, for low-income students whose parents have not attended college or speak little English, it can be an insurmountable challenge. AmeriCorps READY was created to tap into the vast social capital of professionals age 55+ by training them to serve as a resource for first generation college goers and their school counselors in underserved New York City school communities. In 2010, AmeriCorps funded an expansion of the program and 47 members were placed at 46 high schools in New York City. During this most recent school year, nearly 2,000 students have been served.

AmeriCorps READY is operated by ReServe and utilizes an intergenerational model to address the CNCS Education strategy to improve college preparation and enrollment for economically disadvantaged students. ReServe (www.reserveinc.org) is a national nonprofit that matches older adults (55+) with part-time, stipended social-purpose service work at nonprofit organizations and public institutions.

AmeriCorps Members are recruited from a group of highly qualified and motivated Baby Boomers with diverse professional backgrounds and careers. They include former writers, business consultants, financial managers, educators, office managers and attorneys.

Working with an average of 450 students, school guidance counselors spend most of their time on the top performing students and the most problematic. Members fill the gap by working directly with students who are academically college ready but need guidance and encouragement regarding their college options. They help students’ research colleges and scholarships, coach them through the college essay writing and application process, assist them and their families in applying for financial aid, and help them evaluate their financial aid packages. Members receive pre-service training and in-service training throughout the year.

Members often go above and beyond what is asked of them: whether they organize writing workshops, arrange college visits with students and their parents or guardians, or leverage their contacts to have computers donated to their schools. They share their social capital and enlist their friends and families to do the same.

For example, Barbara serves as a coordinator for 25 high schools, acting as a liaison between the schools, her fellow members and ReServe. She performs this work on top of her assignment at the School for Law and Community Service in the Bronx.

From January to March this year she helped to organize nearly 40 events at 30 schools that offered families free tax preparation since much of the data needed for FASFA forms depends on tax information of student’s parents or guardians.

More than 600 families’ participated and 597 FASFA forms were filed. The achievement is important since students who file a FAFSA are 50% more likely to enroll in college than students who do not file – and lack of financial aid is a top reason students cite for eventually dropping out of college. 

“The guidance counselors are so overwhelmed and it means so much to the students to have someone listen to them and help them along the way,” says Barbara. “Are there challenges? Sometimes they’re hard to reach and our time with them is limited, but any time we have with them makes an impact.”