College Students

Nomar Leonardo Melo Cabral had only been in his first semester at college for a few weeks when an unexpected bill from Stony Brook University landed in his inbox.http://go to google

At 19, Nomar is the first person in his family to attend college in the United States, and the arrival of the bill left him feeling overwhelmed. But instead of panicking, he turned to a resource that many young people in his situation lack: an advocate from OneGoal New York, a mentorship program that has supported him since high school. “I thought, ‘I have this bill, it’s the end of everything,’” Nomar recalled. Fortunately, OneGoal’s adviser helped him resolve the issue with the college, allowing him to refocus on his studies. “I realized, ‘I have someone to help me,’” he said.https://wordpress.com/

Nomar is one of 15,000 students across the country who are part of OneGoal, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to helping students from low-income backgrounds prepare for college and navigate the complex admissions process, which is often stressful for even the wealthiest families.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last year to end affirmative action, the work OneGoal does has become more crucial than ever. Most OneGoal students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and 94 percent belong to racial minority groups. For Americans who are committed to fairness and equity and want to support these students, finding innovative ways to help has become essential.

This is one of the reasons why The New York Times Community Fund backs OneGoal.

The program begins in students’ junior year of high school. Together, students form a cohort within their school and receive extensive college advising, from assistance with personal essays to navigating the often confusing process of applying for financial aid. OneGoal also focuses on boosting the confidence of students, many of whom attend underfunded schools.

“Guidance counselors at my high school were overwhelmed with other students,” Nomar explained of his high school in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. He said he was able to use what he learned through OneGoal to help his classmates, who were not part of the program, with their college applications. OneGoal also provided crucial support in the financial aid process, which his parents were struggling to understand. “My parents didn’t get financial aid or how the loan system worked,” he said. “I had to help them figure it out.”

The barriers to attending college are immense, so it’s no surprise that nearly 90 percent of students from wealthy families go to college, while only about half of students from low-income families do. OneGoal aims to close this gap. Giving students from low-income families a fair shot at higher education isn’t just about fairness—it’s about strengthening the middle class, which is vital to the health of American democracy.

Since its inception in 2007, OneGoal has directly supported over 30,000 students, and many more have benefited through local school districts that have adopted the program. With your help, this valuable nonprofit can extend its impact even further.