Page 16 - Priorities #43 2009-April

100% of Priory’s ACCESS graduates are accepted into universities.
Bucknell Claremont-McKenna Dartmouth Duke Harvard NYU Rice Santa Clara University St. Mary’s Stanford Tulane UC Berkeley University of Chicago UC Davis UC San Diego UC Santa Barbara USC Yale
Why ACCESS? IT WORKS!
St. Benedict once said, “We must prefer nothing to the art of caring for others.” ACCESS Program at the Priory is one of these quiet happenings that has been an integral part of our mission from the very beginning. In 1993, Priory made a commitment to work with other community-based organiza- tions to support the education of ethnically diverse students who were eco- nomically-challenged. Since then, Priory has graduated 30 of these students (or 86% of those who entered the program), all of whom have been accepted to four-year colleges, including schools like Stanford, Dartmouth, and Yale.
Throughout East Palo Alto and parts of Redwood City, trees are scarce, concrete dominates the landscape, classrooms are crowded, and school districts are notoriously underfunded. Students struggle to be challenged
in crowded classrooms, alongside peers who are often severely lacking in English and Mathematics skills. ACCESS provides hope to high-achieving economically-challenged students and their parents from these areas. It pro- vides them with scholarships for both tuition and non-tuition costs of a Priory education such as tutors, books, translators for parent-teacher conferences, mentorship through the college application process, and much more. It gives students the support and the opportunity to fully embrace a spiritually and academically enriching education that will stay with them all their lives, al- lowing students to create their own thoughtful paths.
But ACCESS does more than just help these deserving students; it pro- vides crucial diversity to our Priory community. ACCESS brings diverse perspectives on life that make our entire student body better and more aware citizens. In this ever-connecting world, understanding our inherent plurality is at the root of the gift that is ACCESS. As we prepare our students for their world after high school, their understanding of people from diverse back- grounds will no doubt be an incredible asset for their futures.
At Priory’s Auction this year on May 2nd, ACCESS will be one of three Priory programs that will be highlighted during Fund-A-Need. We hope you will join the effort to support this very important program.
For more information please contact Dan Polk, ACCESS Program Coordi- nator, at dpolk@prioryca.org or 650.815.6382.
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