NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner
NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner Raises More than $560,000 for Tuition Assistance
ST. LOUIS, MO. June 10, 2013 – Approximately 500 donors attended the NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner on June 5th to support more than 300 middle school graduates attending college-preparatory high schools in St. Louis. The dinner was a remarkable success, raising over $560,000 in tuition assistance, an increase of more than $103,000 from the previous year.
“The program speaks for itself,” said Blake Youde, Executive Director of Access Academies. Across the US, 6% percent of African-American students and 4% of Hispanic students are enrolled in private/independent college-prep schools compared to 97% for our Nativity Miguel students.
The NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner, sponsored by Access Academies and the Vatterott Foundation will bridge the gap between the cost of private, college-prep high schools and the tuition available from each student’s family, the financial aid provided by the 27 participating high schools, and the high school scholarships provided to each student from one of the 8 NativityMiguel schools in St. Louis.
Brandon Ramsey, a NativityMiguel graduate, charmed dinner guests as he spoke about the bright future facing him as a high school graduate:
As I look toward the future, I know that the education I have received will prepare me for the challenges of college, and I am happy to announce that in February I received my college acceptance letter to the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where I plan to study Dentistry. I want to become a dentist because of three reasons:
The first reason is because of a personal finance course I took my sophomore year. In this class I learned that Dentists make a solid income and will be an in-demand profession over the next 5 to 10 years.
The second reason is because there are very few African-American dentists.
The third and final reason is because I have braces and love going to the dentist.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of St. Louis NativityMiguel students are admitted to college. An impressive figure compared to the educational attainment of People 25 years and over within the City of St. Louis/St. Louis County as of 2011 (U.S. Census):
- Less than 9th grade: 5.6% / 2.7%
- 9th to 12th grade, no diploma: 12.6% / 5.8%
- High school diploma or equivalency: 26.4% / 23.2%
- Some college, no degree: 21.7% / 21.9%
- Associate’s degree: 6.0% / 7.1%
- Bachelor’s degree: 15.9% / 23.5%
- Graduate or professional degree: 11.9% / 15.8%
The St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education offers neighborhood enrollment and features a rigorous middle school academic program to prepare students for success in college-prep high schools. The model includes a 10-hour school day, a 10-1/2-month school year, fundamental parental involvement and a demanding curriculum.
To view the video featured at the 5th Annual NativityMiguel Scholarship Dinner, highlighting two student success stories, please click here.  For more information about the St. Louis NativityMiguel model of education, please contact Julie Linder, Public Relations for Access Academies, by calling (573) 268-0639.
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