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PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — More than 20 high school graduates in the Omaha area were back in a classroom last week for a summer workshop designed to help them succeed whenever they begin college this fall.
Many of the students come from low-income families and are the first in their family to attend a university, the Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/1Kmz5Gh ) reported. The students met at Papillion-La Vista High School for an all-day seminar, where workers with nonprofit College Possible helped walk them through the final steps of preparing for life at a four-year college.
"My mom never went to college," said Tyrell Lopez, 17. "All she told me was to get my grades and get to college. I had to kind of figure out how to get there."
Students learned more about college majors, having a social life at a college and professional communication during the workshop.
A College Possible development officer, Marjorie Maas, said the summer before college can be risky for students planning to attend college in the fall. Without a support system, it's easy for them to lose track of deadlines, including enrolling for classes and making tuition deposits.
The nonprofit recruits the students whenever they're high school sophomores. When the students become juniors, the nonprofit meets with them twice a week after school, focusing on college applications, standardized test preparation and college visits.
Lopez has been accepted into the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has earned a scholarship that will cover most of his college expenses. He credits his College Possible coach, Hilary Bond, for getting him this far.
"Without Hilary?" Lopez said. "I probably wouldn't be thinking about college. I'd be on the street skating somewhere."
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com
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