A Broward County-based non-profit organization was awarded $1.1 million to support its mission to prepare students for a career after they graduate high school.
The award will go towards helping more than 9,000 Broward County high school students and about 14,000 middle schoolers from underserved communities.
The initiative, "Postsecondary Success for All," is part of Bridge2Life, a non-profit that's part of the Broward Education Foundation. It is dedicated to strengthening the local workforce pipeline by increasing the percentage of working-age adults in Broward County with a post-secondary degree or high-quality certificate to 65% by 2030.
The program plans to make advanced classes more accessible to students, offering college and career advising and test preparation workshops across 80 schools in the district.
“This investment is a game changer for our students, particularly those who have historically faced barriers to higher education,” said Broward County Superintendent Howard Hepburn in a statement.
The money is coming from the Helios Foundation, which invests in low-income and historically underrepresented communities in Arizona and Florida.
“At Helios, we know that postsecondary success doesn’t happen by chance, it requires intentional systems of support that meet students where they are and guide them every step of the way,” said Helios Education Foundation President and CEO Paul Luna in a statement.
Part of the plan is to establish partnerships with local colleges to raise awareness of and increase enrollment in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) and Dual Enrollment classes for high schoolers.
Students will also be able to find tutoring for ACT and SAT, which are critical for many college admissions and scholarships.
Reaching beyond the individual student, families of juniors and seniors can seek one-on-one advising on how to navigate college expenses and applications, like with Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The hope is also to build mentorships that will help ease students' transition out of high school and home.
