Fewer than three in ten D.C. public high school students attend college after graduation. Fewer than one in ten graduates actually attain a degree. In an effort to combat these trends, Steve Rafferty (COL ‘09), Chris Suoboda (MSB ‘09) and George Foulard (COL ‘09) founded the Higher Learning Foundation.
The foundation raises funds to aid students from D.C. facing the hurdle of poor public education and steep college tuitions, and awarded its first two scholarships in June 2007 to two seniors at the Wilson High School. This semester, there are plans to add SAT tutoring classes as well as college counseling for students there and at Bell Multicultural High School in Columbia Heights.
“We wanted to make sure we hadn’t just cruised by and not done anything meaningful in the community,” Rafferty, the chairman of HLF’s board, said.
In total, HLF raised $11,000 last spring, and calculated that planned SAT classes and fundraising events would require $5,000. The remaining $6,000 was divided between the two scholarships, which were awarded to Adela Paiz and Farouz Foty. HLF sends the money directly to the universities after assuring that the donation will not cause the school to detract from the students’ financial aid package.
The Foundation rewards academic excellence, community service leadership and financial need. The board members selected Paiz from the relatively small pool of applicants (Rafferty hopes for a larger pool this year) for her commitment to studies and participation in the girl scouts, as well as leadership in Teen Women in America, a forum for Woodrow Wilson’s female students to gather and discuss issues. She will be the first in her family to attend college.
Foty was awarded for academic excellence in addition to captaining of the girls’ soccer team, directing a school play and heading up the club M.E.C.C.A, which raised awareness of issues in Muslim community.
Billy Dolan-Galaviz, a tutor with Ask, works with D.C. public school students who have been through the justice system. He attests to the defects of the system.
“They don’t have enough teachers. They just pass students to get rid of them. They’re unsafe and inadequate learning environments, is what the students say.”
The foundation is not funded by the university, and without formal non-profit status last year, private donations were their only resource. The board and nine members directly solicited the donations.
“Our philosophy was ‘for the people, from the people,’” Rafferty said. “We were more excited to see families contribute $50 or $100 at a time than if some company had contributed $5000. Though obviously we’ll take their money.”
Higher Learning plans to expand its donor base after achieving non-profit status over the summer. Rafferty admitted the paperwork was the most difficult part of the entire endeavor, laughing at the memory of the thirty page IRS report. It was worth it, though, he added.
