WASHINGTON – The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) centered students who are alumni of the charter school network at the forefront of a conversation this week about what it takes to get to and through college during a panel on Capitol Hill.
Moderated by Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, the panel featured the 2018 KIPPster Federal Policy Fellows who discussed the value of high expectations for student success, simplifying financial aid and the importance of community on campus for underrepresented groups.
As KIPP Federal Policy Fellows, the students and recent graduates will participate in a paid Congressional internship, giving them access to civic groups, professional development and a “seat at the table” in education policy discussions.
The panelists began by discussing the ways their KIPP experience prepared them to make informed decisions about their college choices. Panelists noted that their KIPP schools set higher expectations for them and provided more resources than some of the schools they previously attended.
At KIPP, “they told me that I could do better and I could excel,” said De’Ja Wood, a rising sophomore at Duke University. Wood added that her school, KIPP St. Louis, provided her with the supportive resources and mentors needed to succeed academically.
Similarly, Mariama Barry, a rising junior at Franklin and Marshall College, said the presence of more academic counselors per student – thus, a more personalized advising experience – at KIPP Massachusetts played a role in her decision to attend the private, liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.
A school counselor matched Barry’s interdisciplinary interests in international studies to several schools, she said. After picking Franklin and Marshall, she decided to focus on human rights within her major.
