This semester, Peer Leaders in Prince George’s County Public School District joined together with their College Readiness Center to host the districtwide fourth annual College Applications Night. The event was co-hosted by more than 20 Peer Leaders and attended by more than 50 Peer Leaders, demonstrating the true spirit of “peers helping peers” extending even between neighboring PeerForward teams.
Attendance at the event was high, reaching a total of 610 students and parents. Attendees participated in workshops surrounding college admissions and financial aid, including “Understanding ACT/SAT Test Results,” “College Admissions and Financial Aid for Immigrant Families,” and “FAFSA Completion,” among others.
The night also included a college fair with 17 universities present, ranging from local Maryland colleges like Bowie State University, to schools all along the east coast like Harvard University in Massachusetts and Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. A handful of the colleges offered on-site admissions, where students could apply and receive an admissions decision in real-time.
This collective effort by the district and Peer Leaders was an overwhelming success: 569 on-site acceptance letters were received and more than $2 million in scholarships were secured that night alone.
Alonzo Bailey, the College Readiness Specialist at the Prince George’s County College Readiness Center, said:
“The Peer Leaders I have worked with demonstrate great character and a confident personality. [Their] support has been phenomenal this year. The students are extremely helpful and lend themselves to going the extra mile when asked to perform various assignments…ranging from public speaking and presenting information before parents and students to registering families and fielding certain questions other students have as it relates to our college readiness programs.”
Our Peer Leaders are working together to make an impact not only in their individual schools but across the district and are seeing impressive results from their efforts. Way to go Peer Leaders!
