Leadership Enterprise For A Diverse America - Leda

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LEDA SCHOLARS PROGRAMASPECTS OF LEADERSHIP SUMMER INSTITUTE: COHORT 17 ATTENDED THE ASPECTS OF LEADERSHIP SUMMER INSTITUTE VIRTUALLY. THROUGH A COMBINATION OF SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS ACTIVITIES, SCHOLARS RECEIVED WRITING INSTRUCTION, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, TEST PREPARATION, COLLEGE GUIDANCE, AND MULTIPLE COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES. THE INSTITUTE ALSO FEATURED VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS BY ADMISSIONS REPRESENTATIVES FROM OVER 30 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. THE SUMMER INSTITUTE DEVELOPS SCHOLARS' LEADERSHIP SKILLS, STRENGTHENS ACADEMIC WRITING AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, BUILDS A LASTING SCHOLAR COMMUNITY, AND PREPARES SCHOLARS TO APPLY TO HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES. RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSION:IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, RECRUITMENT EFFORTS SPANNED ALL 50 U.S. STATES AND WASHINGTON D.C. STAFF CONDUCTED VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSIONS AT NEARLY 100 HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, SPEAKING TO HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS AND CONNECTING WITH DOZENS OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. LEDA RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 1320 APPLICATIONS, ADMITTING 102 STUDENTS FROM 36 STATES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME FOR INCOMING COHORT 17 SCHOLARS WAS $36,960 AND 76% ARE FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS REPRESENTING DIVERSE RACIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS.COLLEGE GUIDANCE:LEDA SCHOLARS RECEIVED IN-DEPTH ADVISING ON THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS STARTING AT SUMMER INSTITUTE AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE ACADEMIC YEAR. LEDA STAFF PROVIDED ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING SESSIONS WITH SCHOLARS, INDIVIDUALIZED RECOMMENDATION LETTERS, FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION ASSISTANCE, AND SUPPORT WITH COMPLETING COLLEGE ESSAYS. COHORT 16'S MATRICULATION RATES WERE AS FOLLOWS: 98% WERE ADMITTED TO A MOST COMPETITIVE COLLEGE, WITH 92% MATRICULATING, AND 69% WERE ADMITTED TO AN IVY LEAGUE INSTITUTION, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (MIT), OR STANFORD UNIVERSITY. COLLEGE SUCCESS:OVER THE COURSE OF FISCAL YEAR 2021, LEDA'S COLLEGE SUCCESS PROGRAM PROVIDED SUPPLEMENTAL ACADEMIC ADVISING AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL COUNSELING SUPPORT TO FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS, RETURNING STUDENTS, AND GRADUATING SENIORS IN COLLEGE. LEDA ALSO SHARED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND COLLEGE COMPLETION RESOURCES, PROVIDED EMERGENCY GRANT ASSISTANCE AND POST-GRADUATE PLANNING SUPPORT, ORGANIZED COMMUNITY-BUILDING ACTIVITIES, AND SUPPORTED FIRST-YEAR SCHOLARS WITH PEER MENTORING SUPPORT SERVICES. STAFF CONDUCTED 702 FORMAL CHECK-INS; 197 SCHOLARS WERE VISITED THROUGH FORMAL AND INFORMAL CAMPUS VISITS; AND LEDA'S PEER MENTOR PROGRAM HAS ONE OF ITS MOST SUCCESSFUL YEARS YET, WITH 80 FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS OPTING INTO THE PROGRAM.

LEDA CAREER AND ALUMNI SERVICESIN FISCAL YEAR 2021, LEDA EMBARKED ON THE FOURTH YEAR OF ITS CURRENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT MODEL BY CONTINUING THE LEDA CAREER NETWORK, INCLUDING A FLAGSHIP FIVE-DAY CAREER INSTITUTE. LEDA'S CAREER NETWORK PREPARES HIGH-ACHIEVING, LOW-INCOME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FOR FUTURE LEADERSHIP ROLES IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL PURSUITS, INCLUDING A DEEPER AND MORE TARGETED FOCUS ON CAREER EXPLORATION, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND CAREER COACHING. IN FY 2021, THE LEDA CAREER INSTITUTE CONTINUED AS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM MODEL AND ACCEPTED 103 CAREER FELLOWS, WITH 87% IDENTIFYING AS FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS, REPRESENTING 50 COLLEGES. LEDA ALSO WORKED WITH MORE THAN 20 EMPLOYER PARTNERS TO OFFER STUDENTS ACCESS TO INTERNSHIP AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES.

LEDA POLICY PROJECTIN FISCAL YEAR 2021, THE LEDA POLICY PROJECT CONTINUED TO ELEVATE THE VOICES OF STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS TO INFORM FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY CONVERSATIONS. THE 2020-2021 POLICY CORPS WAS COMPOSED OF 20 LEDA SCHOLARS AND CAREER FELLOWS. POLICY CORPS MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN AN IN-DEPTH FALL FEDERAL POLICY AND ADVOCACY TRAINING IN WASHINGTON DC. THEY ALSO AMPLIFIED STUDENT PERSPECTIVES ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY THROUGH THEIR PARTICIPATION AT VARIOUS VIRTUAL EVENTS AND IN PRINT MEDIA THROUGH STORYTELLING AND OP-ED WRITING.