LAUNCH! Leadership Team

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LAUNCH! is a program that helps high school students (of all genders) navigate the often-daunting college application process, including testing, essay development, scholarships and financial aid. Students from throughout our community begin LAUNCH! in the spring of their junior year. During this time, they attend five information sessions led by community leaders with expertise in the aforementioned areas and in addition, we take the students on three college tours that are prioritized by their group. For students who participate fully in the spring, they are assigned a mentor in the fall of their senior year, who assists them throughout the college application process.

Currently we have three members of the LAUNCH! Leadership Team, however the team feels we need two additional members as we go into the Fall of 2025. The responsibliites would include zoom planning sessions with the team, an in-person lunch kickoff session with the students and their mentees and a final LAUNCH! lunch celebration at the end of the year. The team would also need to be sure that the mentee/mentor pairings have what they need and that everyone has what they need in terms of communications and resources. In terms of resources, we have received funding that will allow us to pay for testing, essay development consultation, Fiske college info books and a subscription access to a platform with extensive college info. The team would also need to be sure that these resources are readily available to the students and their mentors throughout the fall.

This year, 2025, has been a pilot for LAUNCH!. The majority of student participants will be first generation college graduates and in addition, they typically have limited resource support services and staff at their schools. This spring, we have found that the students and their families have relied heavily on the information offered through LAUNCH! This first group is relatively small (20 students), but our surveys and experiences in 2025 will help us to shape the 2026 program. As a leadership team member, the volunteer would be a part of the planning to help us craft and elevate LAUNCH! in 2026 as well.

StrongHER TogetHER is a 100% volunteer-led program, so we are dependent on community leaders who are looking to make a difference in a particular area of interest. This part of our program lends itself to economic mobility and assisting students who often have limited access to resources that can propel them toward broader opportunities and financial security for themselves and their families. Thank you for your interest in helping us support these students!