Students In Koreatown & South L.A. Receive Full Scholarships

Los Angeles CA

07 March, 2022

6:03 AM

Description

Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy (BSSCA) in South Los Angeles is a public charter school Students at Rise Kohyang High School (RKHS) in Koreatown and Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy (BSSCA) in South Los Angeles have been awarded full four-year scholarships to universities across the country. Three students are recipients of the prestigious Posse Foundation scholarship and one student has received the QuestBridge college match scholarship: two of the most sought-after awards for students seeking access to higher education. Bright Star Schools are in their 10th year of helping students compete for and win these highly coveted awards. RKHS is located at 600 South La Fayette Park Place, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057, and BSSCA is located 1600 W. Imperial Hwy, Los Angeles, CA 90047. "Our students are from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, yet they are excelling, and we're proud to position them in a way that makes them eligible for these amazing scholarships," said Marni Parsons, Bright Star Schools' Vice President of Student and Family Services. "We've had Posse scholars every year for the last decade. Students going to community college or vocational training get as much support as students on the pathway for a four-year degree. We're proud of that." This success is in large part due to the commitment and competency of counselors, as well as a low caseload. Bright Star Schools typically have one college counselor for every 125 students compared to California's average of one counselor to every 600 high school students (California Association of School Counselors, 2019-2020). While many school districts have counselors placed in high school, Bright Star Schools has invested in having counselors at each schooling level, from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. Having an embedded counselor program has enabled Bright Star Schools to better adapt student support when COVID creates new challenges. Michael Escobar, 12th grade counselor at Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy | Credit: Telemundo image from news intervie "While it was challenging during the recent COVID surge to find safe gathering spaces where we could help students fill out applications, we learned that students were more confident with an online interview," said Michael Escobar, 12th grade counselor at Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy. "For this reason, more students were also able to make it to the final round of interviews. It helped that they didn't have to go off campus, and that I was there to help, offer advice and debrief," said Escobar. Support for students begins long before they've entered high school and, thanks to Bright Star's Alumni Support and College Success program, extends six years beyond graduation. Bright Star Schools follow students from Transitional Kindergarten through post-high school and college graduation. The support resembles more of a case management approach than academic counseling. Bright Star School scholarship recipients with Mr. Garris, principal of Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy (BSSCA) in South Los Angeles. Photo credit: Joe Macia "Our program is unique in that students get support up to six years after graduating high school," said Sue Chae, Bright Star Schools Counseling Department Chair & 12th grade counselor at Rise Kohyang High School. "There's someone checking in to see how they're doing and providing support." Beyond high school and college graduation, the Bright Star Schools team has a larger goal in mind – a debt free higher education for every student. According to Parsons, high education pathways for Bright Star scholars, higher education pathways must be personally meaningful and financially viable even for students who don't receive a full-tuition scholarship. "We have a goal that students' entering debt at a four-year college or university be less than $5,000 in the first year," said Parsons. For our class of 2021, the average debt taken on during freshman year was less than $3,000 per student. We're making sure all our kids have access to higher education and don't incur a ton of debt. With counseling and access to scholarships, we're getting there." There are nine Bright Star Schools, tuition-free public charter schools across three communities in Los Angeles (West Adams/Baldwin Village, Koreatown, and the San Fernando Valley), Bright Star Schools' 3,500+ students experience rigorous academics, inclusive education, social-emotional support, and rich life opportunities beyond the classroom from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade and up to six years of higher education support. More information is available at www.brightstarschools.org.