Photos by Ruby Ella Photography
June 16, 2023
On June 12, family, friends, and mentors celebrated the 37 graduates of AHC’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) program. The CCR program included 69 juniors and seniors from area high schools who participated this year.
The graduates received acceptance from 156 out of the 257 schools they applied to and received $13.3 million in gift aid and scholarships from those schools – a new record for the CCR program and nearly double the amount from the prior year. All the students are the first generation in their families to reach this educational milestone.
The CCR program has served 238 students since its inception in 2016. Tutors, mentors, and other key staff members were there to celebrate during the exciting ceremony.
The keynote speaker was Lara Mohamed, who is headed to Yale University to study global affairs. She received a Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, Ron Brown Scholarship, and Horatio Alger Scholarship – allowing her to attend college at no cost. Lara shared how she came to the CCR program, “As a shy kid who had just moved from Alexandria to Arlington in 6th grade, the program helped me find a support group that helped me navigate those challenges.” Lara added, “AHC provided an incredible mentor, Ms. Alyse, who is sitting right here who I met in 7th grade who constantly pushed me to get good grades and encouraged me to apply to as many scholarships as possible.”
“Little did I know as a sixth grader that my mom’s simple decision to live in an AHC property and enroll me in this program would change the trajectory of my life,” says Lara. “AHC saw me as more than my grades. From an early age, AHC instilled in me this idea it didn’t matter where I came from, that I was first generation or that both my parents were immigrants... anyone could reach their goals if they worked hard.”
This year’s graduating students received additional prestigious awards and scholarships including Questbridge, POSSE, Gates, and Amazon Future Engineers Scholar. And for the first time, a student was also recruited to play football at Bridgewater College. Several students also received full-ride scholarships for college! Read more about some of the students heading to college. As always, mentors played important roles in the success of the students. Their dedication and connection to the students was a game-changer. Many mentors have worked with the students for many years. Thank you to all our mentors, volunteers, community partners, and supporters for helping AHC’s graduates shine bright!
Where the Graduates are Headed This Fall
Virginia Commonwealth University
James Madison University
·Northern Virginia Community College
University of Virginia
George Mason University
American University
Stanford University
Virginia Tech
Bridgewater College
Elon University
Yale University
George Washington University
Marymount University
Interested in Mentoring or Tutoring? Contact Laura Jackson at volunteer@ahcinc.org.