Every year, Paul Cuffee School arranges for students to visit local colleges and universities as part of their college and career readiness education. The time commitment, cost of transportation, and distance make visits to schools outside of our region, and particularly to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), beyond the reach of most PCUS students and their families. To increase access in the most cost-effective way possible, Katherine Wilson, PCUS counselor, made arrangements for 20 juniors and seniors to go to the Malcolm Bernard HBCU Fair in New York City this year.
With Ms.Wilson’s guidance, students prepared their college portfolios and questions in advance. At the Fair, they were able to attend workshops on college life, career choices and related academic majors, financial aid, and debt avoidance, among other topics of interest. Some students scheduled meetings with admissions representatives for in-person interviews. Seven PCUS seniors were offered college acceptances that day, and one of the seven received an in-state tuition offer because there are no HBCUs in Rhode Island.
A generous grant from the Providence Shelter for Colored Children helped cover the cost of transportation, for which we are grateful. If you are able and interested in underwriting the cost of next year’s trip, please contact Julia Karahalis, Director of Development at jkarahalis@paulcuffee.org.