Samo staff gathers to aid students with college applications

Aili Forster, Staff Writer

The gathering was held in the Discovery Building after school, so students had the opportunity to work in a quiet environment and receive help. Students like Cole Thompson (’25), who attended the meeting, were happy for the help from staff and extra time to work on applications. 

“It was a really nice quiet space to finish my apps. I felt a lot of support from the college counselors and teachers that were there,” Thompson said. 

The “College App Fest '' was led by the Samo CARPE team and Project RBG (Reaching bigger goals) along with volunteer Samo teachers. Staff helped students with any work regarding applications, including financial aid help, describing extracurricular activities and revising personal statements. The Samo CARPE team was created to encourage more BIPOC students to apply to four-year colleges instead of two year community colleges. This was due to research in 2017 from the National Bureau for Educational Statistics which showed that students from low-income families are 20 percent less likely to go to college compared to high-income students.

This is the first time since 2019 that students were able to get help in-person, as the meeting was held online last year due to COVID-19. It was also College App Fest week last year, but was changed back to just a one day event this year. Regardless, the fest had a great turnout, as many students made progress with their applications and got advice.