July 22, 2024

College Lift, a program launched in 2017, graduated its first class this school year. A graduation celebration was held in June at Forsyth Tech’s Mazie Woodruff Aviation Center with students, parents, and the community recognizing the accomplishments and dedication of the graduates.

Modeled after a similar program at the University of Southern California, College Lift guides students, who are referred to as scholars, through a holistic approach over the course of seven years, beginning in middle school.

In remarks from the graduation, Forsyth Tech President Dr. Janet Spriggs said, “It is truly an honor to be celebrating the first ever College Lift graduation. I know that everyone shares my excitement as we mark the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance by our outstanding College Lift students.”

Research has shown that first-generation students often require more support in their middle and high school careers to successfully navigate college. To address this, students in the program are challenged with an additional six to 12 hours of college preparatory instruction through a Saturday Academy as well as afterschool tutoring.

Graduate Alvin Guillen, who will be attending the University of North Carolina Greensboro, said the program has provided focus when previously he felt he “didn’t have the attention to really lock in and do the assignments. But College Lift has…put me in a position where I really had a focus and that’s what I needed.”

College Lift goes beyond other programs by also supporting the caregivers of the program’s students, providing them with educational resources to aid their personal and career advancement.

Belen Alvarado, a graduate of Salem Baptist Christian School, said that the program has provided “the tools I need to go into the world and pursue what I want, what I like.”

To learn more about Forsyth Tech’s College Lift program, visit collegelift.forsythtech.edu. To make a donation to support this initiative, visit www.forsythtech.edu/giving.