Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams pushes preparation for college-aspiring students
Backs recent pep talk with matching money for community-based scholarship program
ABOVE PHOTO: State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams shares his experiences about applying to and surviving at college with high school students from across the 8th District at a college prep workshop as facilitator Alice Hollingshed looks on.
Getting into college requires more than good grades, or even ready tuition. It also means knowing the right forms to fill out and impression to leave, be it on recruiters or teachers writing recommendation letters.
Those were among the points state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams offered to high school students during a candid 45-minute conversation at an inaugural college prep course held at the Church of Christian Compassion CDC last Saturday.
While strong academics may help open the door, poor body language and presentation skills could slam it shut before you even get started, said Williams, a Franklin & Marshall College graduate.
"Having someone pat you on your back and say you're smart is nice, but getting prepared for the process of competing is what you're doing here today," Williams said. "If I can do anything at all, I'm here, as a person who went to college, to tell you the harsh reality. Getting in to college today is about competition. It's all about selling yourself as someone they want to invest in, that they want to have on their campus.
"And sitting, slouched in a chair, looking like you're ready to go, looking like you don't care, that you're not engaged, is not the kind of impression that will help you when you get into those interview rooms," he added. "You're trying to get accepted. You want to open up. Smile on occasion. You have to give something to get something."
And attendees, who came from across the 8th Senatorial District, from South Philadelphia to Colwyn, started giving their attention as he detailed his road to college and the bumps along the way.
"The Road Ahead" workshop was sponsored by the Creek Future Scholar Award Committee, a West Philadelphia-based community organization, and the Church of Christian Compassion. Students received mechanics on filling out applications, writing entrance essays and interview coaching. They also learned more about $500 scholarships awarded by the Creek to seniors who have been accepted into college.
While the Creek has offered scholarship assistance for years, its members decided to add this component to better aid students seeking to transition from high school to college successfully.
Williams pledged to match the awards this year for the eligible seniors who were present.
The scholarship program and its organizers are a testament to what communities can do when they put their energies into productive activities, he said.
"The Creek was a neighborhood gang when I grew up," Williams said. "Now they're older, and more mature, and one of the few organizations that do more than hold reunions. They actually run programs to benefit people.
"It's an example of not just redemption, but also to commitment to the things that matter, helping to create a better world for our next generation."
To apply, graduating seniors must have a 2.5 GPA or higher, an acceptance letter from their chosen college or university, a sealed high school transcript, proof of Pennsylvania residency, a sealed reference letter and a 500-word typed essay detailing their talents and how those will aid in achieving success in college. Deadline for completed applications is July 10.
For applications and details, email deltaeducator10@gmail.com or creek61@comcast.net.
+ Top Story
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague will announce the £20m ($31 million U.S. dollars) compensation package in the House of Commons and thereafter express "sincere regret" to the more than 5000 victims who have been fighting for reparation from the UK government.
The next time a flight attendant reminds you there’s no smoking or you witness a teenager getting carded at a liquor store, think of Frank Lautenberg. The liberal Democratic senator from New Jersey left his mark on the everyday lives of millions of Americans...
A building that was being torn down on 22nd and Market Streets, collapsed with a thunderous boom Wednesday, raining bricks on a neighboring thrift store, killing six people and injuring at least 14 others in an accident that witnesses said was bound to happen.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s decision to eliminate a two-year waiting period for nonviolent felons to regain their voting and other civil rights largely was met with praise from local officials and candidates Wednesday. McDonnell’s office announced that nonviolent felons who maintain a clean record...
Both the House and Senate have passed bills that would reduce funding of the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps, but the extent of the cuts will not become known until negotiators from both chambers agree to a compromise measure.
Emergency crews searched the broken remnants of an Oklahoma City suburb Tuesday for survivors of a massive tornado that flattened homes and demolished an elementary school. At least 24 people were killed, including at least nine children, and those numbers were expected to climb.
In a brutal daylight attack which raised fears that terrorism had returned to London, two men with butcher knives hacked another man to death near a military barracks Wednesday before police wounded them in a shootout.
Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of political activist Malcolm X, died in Mexico City after a violent dispute in a bar, Mexican authorities said Friday. He was 28. City prosecutors are investigating the attack that sent Shabazz to a nearby hospital where he died Thursday of blunt-force trauma injuries.