Black River Technical College (BRTC) is pleased to announce that the BRTC employed Career Coach at Pocahontas High School Allison Swann has been awarded the National School of Excellence award by the American College Application Campaign (ACAC).
“I am very honored to have received this award. The Career Coach Program is an established program here at Pocahontas High School. Due to this, all of the administration, faculty and staff understand the importance of the role of Career Coach and of the College Application Campaign,” said Swann. “I am grateful to all of the PHS staff for helping with the campaign, allowing me access into their classrooms to meet with seniors and for their support.”
The ACAC is a national initiative of ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning, designed to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential awarded the National School of Excellence award to 23 exemplary schools across the nation based on their demonstrated commitment to student success and for serving as models for their state’s college application campaign.
“We know that the college application process is challenging to navigate, especially for first-generation college-goers and students from low-income families,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said. “The efforts from our American College Application Campaign collaborators and educators are making a substantial difference, helping high schoolers in communities across the country. Their efforts help inspire students to discover and fulfil their full potential.”
The 23 winning schools were key contributors in helping reach the ACAC national achievements of 5,150 high schools hosted a college application campaign event, more than 290,000 seniors submitted at least one college application during those events, and approximately 959, 200 applications were submitted; doubling the 2021 campaign’s total.
Swann facilitates the only Arkansas College Application Campaign program that was awarded the National School of Excellence award.
The purpose of the ACAC is to assist high school seniors as they navigate the college application and admissions process and ensure each participating student submits at least one admissions application. Higher education will determine the future of our nation. Often, income inequalities are driven by a lack of access to college. Not only are college graduates’ half as likely to be unemployed as those with only a high school degree, they are also more likely to vote and be leaders in their communities. The economic health and social viability of a democratic society is determined by the education of its citizens. We must remove the barriers to postsecondary education access, according to www.act.org.
