September 11, 2019 - LANSING, Mich.— Students at Redford’s Westfield Preparatory High School will have the chance to sample college experiences and explore careers thanks to a $10,000 Innovative Program Grant from the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN).
The award will launch the Warriors WILL (Willingly Innovate Learn and Lead) program that encourages early postsecondary exposure, experience and success for all students.
The grant-funded initiative will have two components:
- Summer enrichment and intervention program.
- High school dual enrollment, starting with ninth graders.
The weeklong summer enrichment and intervention program includes career exploration, 21st century skills, team building, field trips and college tours. The high school dual enrollment experience will focus on completing a college-level speech or humanities course, as well as a campus visit.
“Warriors WILL enables us to identify students with academic gaps which will, in turn, allow us to be proactive about interventions and remediations,” said Aquan Grant, founder and principal of Westfield Prep. “We also look forward to giving students the chance to experience college-level coursework with guidance from both high school and college staff to increase college enrollment and success.”
“This initiative aligns with our goal of Sixty by 30 and provides opportunities for students who can benefit from early college credit programs,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, interim executive director of MCAN. “We are looking forward to Warriors WILL leading to increases in college enrollment and completion for Westfield Prep students.”
MCAN’s Innovative Program Grants are designed to fund programming that increases college readiness, enrollment and completion in local communities and across the state. Since these grants were introduced in 2016, MCAN has awarded more than $300,000 in 32 grants to organizations throughout the state with grants of up to $10,000.
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About Michigan College Access Network (MCAN)
As the leader in the state’s college access movement, MCAN has a mission to increase Michigan’s college readiness, participation and completion rates, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college-going students and students of color. For the eighth year in a row, Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate has increased — from 35.7% of 25-to-64-year-olds possessing at least an associate degree in 2008, to 41% in 2018. Additionally, it is estimated another 4% of Michiganders have a postsecondary certificate, bringing Michigan’s official 2019 attainment rate to 45%. MCAN’s goal is to increase Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate to 60% by 2030.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Christopher Tremblay
Email: christopher@micollegeaccess.org
Cell: 814-504-5650
The grant will support the launch of the Warriors WILL program to encourage early postsecondary education exposure, experience and success.