Latino College Access Coalition

History
The Latino College Access Coalition (LCAC) began in February 2009, as a partnership of four (4) core community organizations to respond to the need of assisting Latino families complete their FAFSA application prior to the March 1^st deadline.  The original partners were- the College Planning Center of RI, the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy, Quisqueya In Action and the Gloria Dei Stepup Center as well as supporting organizations such as Brown University, United Way 211, Sodexo Education Services and Poder 1110AM. Together these partners’ assisted 109 families complete their FAFSA application, on Saturdays, at local Latino organizations, with help from bilingual counselors.     Today, other organizations are joining our coalition such as: Rhode Island College School of Social Work, John Hope Settlement House, Dorcas Place Welcome Back Center, the Elmwood Community Center, Progreso Latino and The Providence Housing Authority.

Our Mission

To educate, inform and assist Latinos of all ages and backgrounds, to access and succeed in higher education institutions making their dreams of a higher education come true.  The project model is provided in a community based environment of “Confianza,” which in Spanish means “Trust, comfort, and level of familiarity and knowledge that bespeaks confidence.”

Our Vision of Success
The Latino College Access Coalition program provides an opportunity to develop Rhode Island’s Latino workforce so that it can compete effectively in a global, knowledge-based economy by helping improve access to higher education through community based, multi-faceted, multi-lingual and multimedia opportunities.

Our Goal

• To create a network of community organizations throughout the state that will enhance college access assistance to Latinos
• To increase the number of Latinos of all ages accessing and completing college through community informational and educational workshops
• To develop comprehensive, wrap around services to provide case management for students and their families
• To create a multimedia, bilingual campaign to inform and educate the Latino community about college access
• To strengthen our coalition through support from Latino and community leaders
• To develop a strong fund development and management component to leverage future resources

Our Founding Partners

Each of our partners brings their unique expertise and knowledge to the coalition:

Quisqueya In Action is the founder of the College Awareness and Preparation Program of Rhode Island (CAPP-RI), a project that was created to increase the number of Latino students pursuing, accessing and succeeding in higher education.

The Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA) is a trusted bilingual community-based organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of Latino families and individuals.  They are well known for embracing the community in a cultural and linguistic appropriate manner, where the community feels comfortable and welcome to access information needed to succeed in the United States.

Gloria Dei Stepup Center mission is to welcome and give a step up to immigrants and Latinos, by helping them achieve their educational goals.  They introduce opportunities and motivated partners, who teach, coach, mentor and support everyone’s dream to make their own mark as citizens of a multi-ethnic society.  The Center is composed of educators who want to teach students how to achieve higher education.

The College Planning Center of Rhode Island (CPC) has provided college access assistance to over 60,000 families in RI.  Professional counselors provide FREE one-on-one advising and assistance on all aspects of college planning, from selecting schools to completing financial aid forms.

LCAC Offers all our programs and services in Spanish and English

• Financial Aid Workshops
• College Planning Workshops
• One-on-One Counseling
• College Planning Materials
• College Tours
• Informational sessions
• Comprehensive Online Tools & Information
• Financial Literacy Presentations
• SAT Preparation
• Scholarship Search Resources

Why is LCAC Important today

• According to a recently released report from RI Kids Count; “Hispanics in Rhode Island have lower educational attainment levels than the population overall.  In the 2007- 2008 school year, the high school graduation rate for Hispanic youth was 62%, the lowest of any racial/ethnic group in the state and lower than the overall Rhode Island high school graduation rate of 74%.”

• In 2007, 12% of Hispanics 25 years of age and older in Rhode Island hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 30% of all Rhode Islanders.  Hispanic immigrants in Rhode Island are more likely to have less than a high school education, but are also more likely to have a college degree or higher than Hispanics born in the U.S.

• The LCAC has been created at a critical time in our state.  In a study released in 2005 by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education information was presented that related to the level of Rhode Island’s workforce projection.  The study found that the average level of education of Rhode Island’s workforce and the income of its residents was projected to decline over the next two decades unless the state increases the number of Hispanic/Latinos attending college and earning a degree.  This fact is based on information which shows that the share of Rhode Island’s workforce of whites (particularly those under the age of 45) is declining rapidly, while the share of racial/ethnic groups is projected to reach 23% by the year 2020.  This increase is mainly attributed to the growth in the Hispanic/Latino population, whose share of the workforce is expected to jump from 2% in 1980 to 14% in 2020.

• The second fact identified by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education is that Hispanic/Latinos are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in Rhode Island, yet have the lowest levels of education in the state.  The study shows that the gap between the educational levels of whites and Hispanic/Latinos is substantial.  Given these demographic shifts, Rhode Island must work towards decreasing the gap by working with this population to ensure Hispanic/Latinos can be better prepared to access higher education.  The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education projects that the workforce in Rhode Island with a high school degree will increase; however, it projects that the workforce with an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree will decrease.

• The LCAC program provides an opportunity to develop Rhode Island’s Latino workforce so that it can compete effectively in a global, knowledge-based economy by helping raise access to higher education through community based, multi-faceted, multi-lingual and multimedia opportunities.  Through this program we are able to reach Latinos from all walks of the community, to educate them, inform them, and assist them in accessing higher education and to graduate from college or specialized training fields with the skills needed to enter today’s workforce.

LCAC is unique because:

• We target a specific demographic: Latino Community

• We work with all ages, middle and high school age students, immigrants, recent arrivals foreign trained professional, and individuals with GEDs.

• We have a strong community presence with partnerships ranging from community based organizations, cultural associations, faith-based organizations, state and city government programs and Leaders from theLatino community.

• We have built a parent engagement component to help alleviate cultural and language barriers to collegesuccess.

• We offer a comprehensive wrap around approach to ensure college access success in a community based  environment of “Confianza,”

• Extensive bi-lingual and multi-media component

This has been a very difficult year to find funding for both my son, who is going into his 3rd year and my daughter going into her first year at Rhode Island School of Design. Not only difficult, but very stressful as I try to put financing together for them. I wish I could pay 100% out of pocket, but I have to rely on loans to fill gaps. I just want you to know that Pat, Eva and Tad helped me get through this time of stress and getting the funding I needed to send my daughter to school. Without their help there would have been a good chance that my daughter wasn’t going to go to the school she wanted to in September. After my experience with RISLA, I am confidant that for the next 4 years I will be able to get the funding necessary. I want to commend Pat, Eva and Tad and if you have an employee of the month program, I’ll nominate all 3!  People are fast to complain, slow to say Thank You. Please pass my Thank You onto all three.  –  Jim V.

Thanks for the kind words Jim.  We’re proud of our knowledgeable staff and love to hear how we’ve been able to help families afford higher education!

Responding to growing concern by students and parents faced with the daunting cost of a college education, the non-profit Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) is pleased to unveil an affordable loan program that will help thousands of families pay for college this fall. The Rhode Island Family Education Loan Program features a low fixed rate of 7.76% for the fifteen year life of the loan.  The fixed rate loan protects families from increasing monthly payments that variable rate loans are subject to as interest rates rise. The program has the added advantage of being offered by RISLA, a trusted non-profit organization that has helped thousands of students realize the dream of a higher education.

 “As students and parents face rising college costs and a turbulent economy, I commend the non-profit Rhode Island Student Loan Authority for working hard to develop a loan program that makes higher education affordable,” said General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio, also a board member of RISLA. “Education loan borrowers are looking for the safety of a fixed-rate loan, and because we finance these loans with tax-exempt bonds, RISLA offers a very competitive rate which is lower than what Rhode Island parents can receive anywhere else,” said Treasurer Caprio.

The RI Family Education Loan Program is exclusively available to students attending eligible colleges in the state, or to Rhode Islanders attending most out of state institutions. Dr. Anthony Santoro, Chairman of RISLA, stated “One of RISLA’s goals is to save families the high cost of interest that typically accrues while the student is in school.” Repayment of the RI Family Education Loan begins within 60 days of  final disbursement (typically in March for a regular academic year), immediate repayment will save the average family $10,090 in interest (based on $20,000 of borrowing) versus a deferred loan and also enables RISLA to offer families that low 7.76% fixed rate. Families can borrow up to $35,000 or the cost of education less other financial aid, whichever is less. The loan also offers a stable and predictable monthly payment of $100.08 per $10,000 borrowed and there is no penalty for prepayment!

Families can quickly apply online at http://www.risla.com to see if they may qualify. There is no application fee or the need to demonstrate financial need. For further information and full details on the Rhode Island Family Education Loan Program, please call 401-468-1700, or visit www.RISLA.com.   Students and families should explore all Federal loan options before choosing to borrow a non-Federal education loan.

A few weeks ago, the College Planning Center of RI and the RI Student Loan Authority hosted the annual Paul Sherlock Scholarship night at the RI State House.  Each year RISLA honors Rhode Island high school students with $2000 scholarships to attend local colleges and universities, in the name of past Board of Director member and higher education champion Paul Sherlock.

This year, the following students from Rhode Island high schools were awarded scholarships:

Joscelyn Benoit, Lise Bissonnette, Jamie Bridges, Joshua Bronco, Theresa Corriveau, Sasha DeJesus, Dylan Dufault, Nermeen El-Araby, Marc Fleming, Courtney Gazerro, Jessica Gervais, Jonathan Gil, AMie Goodinson, David Haley, Brennan Johnson, Svetlana Lasnier, Molly MacDonald, Ariana Masi, Manuel Mora, Derek Motta, Tyler Perry, Amanda Ramirez, Conner Rooney, Carlos Rosario and Jordan Wolfe.

Taking part in the Sherlock Scholarship awards program at the State House were RISLA Executive Director Charles P. Kelley, RISLA CFO Noel Simpson, and Rep. Joseph McNamara of Warwick, Chairman of the House Health Education & Welfare Committee. Rep. McNamara offered keynote remarks to the recipients and reflected on his friend and former colleague, Paul Sherlock.

The Sherlock Scholarship is named in honor of the late Paul V. Sherlock, a former state representative, professor of education at Rhode Island College, and 18-year board member of RISLA. Rep. Sherlock died in 2004 at the age of 73.  His legacy includes a tireless advocacy for those with developmental disabilities, learning disorders, and mental illness.  He was widely regarded as the father of special education programs in Rhode Island.  While in the House of Representatives, Sherlock rose through the leadership ranks, serving as Chairman of the House Finance Committee, a position he held until his death.  Rhode Island College houses the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities.

What a great turnout we had at our press event yesterday at the College Planning Center of RI at the Warwick Mall!  Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) welcomed everyone and spoke about recent changes to student loan benefits that are in now in effect (as of July 1, 2009).

Our speakers included Congressman James Langevin, Charles Kelley, Executive Director of the RI Student Loan Authority, Ms. Tracy Karasinski, Interim Assistant Dean from Community College of Rhode Island, and CCRI student Ms. Lita Pona King.

Congressman Langevin highlighted the changes to student loan benefits as a result of the College Cost and Reduction Act, which passed in 2007 with his support.  Charlie stated that the College Planning Center has seen more than 6,000 students this year already – a higher number than in any of the previous 10 years, a fact he attributed to these challenging financial times.   Tracy talked about her experiences with students at CCRI going through the financial aid process to apply for college and the struggles they sometimes encounter and how the new legislation will help more students attain higher education in the future.  And then Lita shared her story about how the Pell Grant program has made it possible for her to be able to continue her education, as she graduates from CCRI and plans to attend Johnson & Wales University in the fall.

We’re grateful for Congressman Langevin taking the time out of his busy schedule to show his support for the work we do over at the College Planning Center.  And we invite each of you to call or stop by and speak with one of our counselors about how we can help you as you navigate your way through the college access process.  We’re here to help make higher education more accessible and affordable for every student. 

Thanks to everyone who braved the crazy weather and flooded roads.  We’re glad that we planned an inside event and didn’t have to worry about keeping everyone out of the torrential rain and flash floods.  Hopefully July will provide a bit more sunshine for us here in litte Rhode Island.

You know, we never really know how we influence the people we meet each day, do we?

 A short while ago, Andrea Swain, the Associate Director at the College Planning Center of Rhode Island, was reviewing an essay for a student whose dream it was to attend Brown University.  Now, we assist a lot of students as they prepare for college – we’ve seen more than 6,000 students and families so far this year!  But here’s a great example of how one person can make a difference…

 “As I met with this young woman to go over her college essay, she was a little apprehensive and was not sure if her writing was acceptable.  Her topic was kind of unique – she wrote about how she worked at the local TastyFreeze and how, when it was slow, she would make up stories about all the passers-by;  the stories were about where those people were going and what their lives were like.  It may sound mundane to some, but she created characters worthy of a novel and kept me wanting to read on, hoping to find out what happened to the gentleman driving the 1995 convertible BMW on his way to a job interview, and the family of four who were heading out for vacation but had to turn around because they left the dog tied to a tree in the front yard.

 After my critique, the student said she felt more confident about sending her essay off to Brown with her application.

 Imagine my delight when a few months later I read in a local magazine that her essay was going to be published, and that she was accepted at Brown!  What a great achievement it was to read that – not only for the student of course, but for us at the College Planning Center.  Knowing that maybe our thoughts on her essay gave her more confidence to follow through with her application made us feel pretty great and who knows?  We may be standing in line for an autograph of her first novel soon!”

Thanks for the wonderful story Andrea.  Keep up your great work!

Join us at the College Planning Center of Rhode Island

Thursday – July 2, 2009 at 10:00AM

 

LANGEVIN ANNOUNCES

STUDENT LOAN BENEFIT CHANGES

 

WARWICK, RI – Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI), along with the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority, will highlight the new, positive changes to student loan benefits on Thursday, July 2, at the College Planning Center at the Warwick Mall.

 “In this challenging job market we need to do all we can to help our graduates manage their educational debt,” said Langevin. “The benefit changes that we will be announcing are a result of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which passed into law in 2007 with my support.”

“This year the College Planning Center of Rhode Island has assisted the largest number of students in its 10 year history – we’ve helped more than 6,000 students, free of charge, to navigate the college access process,” said Charles Kelley, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority. “This is a reflection of these difficult economic times and rising tuition costs.  In this current economy, we continue to believe that higher education is the best investment for the future.”

 The new benefits, which go into effect on July 1, include:

•  Cheaper interest rates on need-based (subsidized) federal student loans. On July 1, the interest rates on subsidized federal student loans for undergraduates will decrease from 6 percent to 5.6 percent. This is the second of four annual cuts in this interest rate. The rate will continue to drop until it reaches 3.4 percent in 2011.
• Reasonable and affordable monthly college loan payments for borrowers. On July 1, a new Income-Based Repayment program will go into effect that caps borrowers’ monthly loan payments at just 15 percent of their discretionary income (15 percent of what a borrower earns above 150 percent of the poverty level for their family size). Any current or future borrower whose loan payment exceeds 15 percent of their discretionary income is eligible. After 25 years in the program, borrowers’ debts will be completely forgiven.
• Higher Pell Grant scholarships that cover the average tuition at public universities. Due to funding provided by both the College Cost Reduction and Access Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the maximum Pell Grant scholarship for the 2009-2010 school year will be $5,350 – more than $600 above last year’s award.

Who:          Congressman Jim Langevin and Rhode Island Student Loan Authority

What:         Discussion on new student loan benefits that took effect July 1

When:        Thursday, July 2, 2009 – - 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Where:       College Planning Center of RI – Warwick Office
                        Warwick Mall (near JC Penny entrance)
                        400 Bald Hill Road, Warwick, RI

We’re gearing up for a press event on Thursday at 10:00AM over at the Warwick Mall on Bald Hill Road. RI Congressman James Langevin will be speaking about recent changes to student loan benefits.  The changes are part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act that will be in effect as of July 1, so we encourage everyone to attend the event.  For more information you can log on to the CPC website.  We hope to see all of you there!

We received a great letter from a college student’s mom a bit ago and thought we’d post…

“When my son consolidated his student loans he had a problem.  He ran into trouble when his signature for early repayment was signed after the original application.  There were many twists and turns to what happened next.  However, your employee Evan diligently kept working through the problem with my son until it was resolved.  What prompted me to write this letter is to let you know that Evan was highly professional, well informed, and most of all, thorough throughout the process.  There are not enough words to describe his manner, tone of voice, courtesy, and attention to detail.  He always returned my calls and/or left detailed voice mails for my son to follow.

Finally, I want you to know that I do not regularly write letters like this one.  I am a mother of three sons who have now all graduated from college.  As they begin their professional lives, I hope they display the qualities that Evan has demonstrated.  Evan should be considered a valuable RISLA employee indeed!

Sincerely, JoAnne L.”

Thanks for the great letter JoAnne – we think Evan is great too!  Customer service is important to us and Evan’s a great example of the dedicated professionals here ready to help you with your questions.  Thanks for the wonderful letter!

Abe Motta, one of our counselors that helps families navigate the college access system through our College Planning Center, wanted to share a great letter he received from a mother and daughter he worked with to fill out their FAFSA application for college.

“Thank you very much for helping my mother and I fill out the FAFSA form and CSS profile.  With the college process so difficult at times, having someone aid us made it a lot easier.  With your help, it became a lot easier to understand.  Thank you very much for your time, patience and understanding.  We are looking to be able to have great college success, and without your help, this would not have been possible.  Thank you again for your time.  - Amber & Dawn

 We love hearing from families about how we’ve helped them with their college access.  It can be a confusing time for everyone!  The College Planning Center of Rhode Island is a free service of the non-profit RI Student Loan Authority and we’re here to help.

Our professional counselors provide FREE one-on-one advising and assistance on all aspects of college planning, from selecting schools to completing financial aid forms. At the CPC, you can receive:

• Help with conducting college searches
• Guidance through the college admissions process 
• Instruction on financial aid procedures and policies, including financing options 
• Assistance in completing admission and financial aid applications 
• Help with reviewing financial aid award packages 
• Information on researching scholarships and careers 
• Financial education for students

Check us out College Planning Center of RI for more information.