Opportunity.

This is the first word that comes to mind concerning the goal of the Evanston Scholars program.

Evanston Scholars is a non-profit organization started by ETHS English teacher Steve Newman that aims to increase the approach and success for college applicants. The program targets students who are often the first in their family to attend college, students of color, or who come from low-income backgrounds.

The idea for the program is very unique, and one Newman developed on his own.

“As a teacher, I realized that there really was a difference in resources between different kids, and I felt there wasn’t a sustained system of support for these kids,” explains Newman.

        The program pairs students with mentors, who are all college graduates themselves. This allows them to work together to give the student all of the resources they need to have a successful college experience.

        Junior Miyoki Walker says, “The biggest advantage is definitely getting more information about college and having the resources to research what colleges would be the best for me.”

        The experience is very rigorous, and allows students who aren’t familiar with the college process to gain a sense of sustainability and support, while being held to very high standards.

        Senior Lauryn Marriott, who is the third member of her family to go through the Evanston Scholars program says, “The opportunities like college visits, college fairs, even scholarship opportunities are things that I would never have known about and may not have even been able to attend without my partnership with Evanston Scholars.”

To apply for the program, prospective students must visit www.evanstonscholars.org and follow the directions under the “Scholars” tab. While this year’s deadline has passed, potential Scholars must demonstrate a strong focus on attending college, and maintain a GPA of 2.7 or above.