[INTRO]

[0:00:06] BT: From Google to mobile apps to podcasts like this, there are countless resources out there to help students find the school that's right for them and craft a strong application.

[0:00:15] BHA: Many students might find that the ultimate college support is right in their own backyard. I'm Becca Haupt Aldredge from Bucknell University. On today's episode of College Admissions Insider, we're exploring community-based organizations.

[0:00:29] BT: I'm Brooke Thames, also from Bucknell. We'll define what community-based organizations are, who they serve and the difference they can make in a student's admissions journey.

[0:00:38] BHA: Our guest is Adam Navarro-Jusino, Associate Dean of Admissions for Access and Outreach at Bucknell's Office of Admissions. Welcome to the podcast.

[0:00:46] ANJ: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

[0:00:48] BT: Yes. We're so excited to have you here. To start us off, can you tell us a little bit more about you and what your work entails?

[0:00:55] ANJ: Yes, of course. I feel like I need to provide a little context. My journey in higher education has been deeply personal and driven by my commitment to support students from backgrounds similar to mine. As the first of my family to graduate from college, I knew early how valuable a strong support system could be in navigating the complexities of higher education. This, in turn, inspired my passion to pay it forward and to help others who may not have had the same resources or guidance.

My career in higher education began on the college side where I had the privilege of recruiting students from diverse backgrounds, both nationally and internationally. This experience sparked my desire to work directly with high school students, particularly those in Title I high schools where I focused on college access and served communities with large populations of underrepresented and marginalized students.

How that fits into my role now is, at Bucknell, I continue to build on that mission in my current role where I collaborate with community-based organizations (or CBOs) and other partners to provide students with access to opportunities and programming at Bucknell University. My journey has always been about connecting students to the resources, guidance and networks that can help them achieve their dreams.

[0:02:15] BHA: Thanks for that intro, Adam, and thanks for sharing some of your story with us, too. At some point in their college journey, students will lean on their parents, teachers, high school counselors for helping guidance. But as you mentioned, there's also community-based organizations or CBOs. Can you broadly describe what those are and what they can offer?

[0:02:35] ANJ: Yes. Loosely defined, a community-based organization or CBO is usually a non-profit organization or local group that supports students who might not have had all the resources they need to access higher education. Typically, they focus on things like helping with applications, essay writing or even understanding financial aid. They're especially helpful for students who might be the first in their family to go to college or who come from communities that don't have as many resources. Think of them as a team dedicated to guiding you through the process and opening doors that might have been harder to find on your own.

[0:03:16] BT: As someone who works in formal partnership with community-based organizations at Bucknell, I wonder if you can give us even more insight into what some of that programming looks like on the college side.

[0:03:25] ANJ: Yes. Bucknell currently has forged relationships with groups like Matriculate and Seeds of Fortune. Matriculate connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with college student advisors who help them navigate everything from picking the right schools to preparing applications. Whereas an organization like Seeds of Fortune focuses on young women of color, helping them develop leadership skills, and teaching them how to secure scholarships or college. These organizations often work with Bucknell to arrange workshops, campus visits or one-on-one mentoring, so students can feel confident about applying and transitioning to college.

[0:04:09] BHA: How might a student know whether they should consider getting involved with a community organization? In other words, are there types of students that are best served by these types of resources?

[0:04:19] ANJ: Yes. I think generally speaking, if you feel like you could use extra support during the college search process, a CBO might be a good fit for you. Maybe your school counselor has a lot of students to work with and can't give you the one-on-one help you need. For instance, when I worked at some of the Title I schools, our ratios were 1 to 300 or 400 in a class. In those cases, you could seek the assistance of a CBO to help you with that one-on-one experience.

Or maybe you're the first in your family to go to college and don't know where to start. CBOs are really good organizations to help students who are motivated to go to college but need someone to guide them through the proper steps.

[0:05:02] BT: Now that we have a foundation of what a CBO is and who might be best served, let's talk access points. How can a student get connected with a community-based organization, and does it depend on the kind of organization?

[0:05:15] ANJ: Yes. That's a really good question. There are a lot of ways to get connected. Sometimes, your school counselor or teacher might recommend one. Or you can search online for organizations in your area or nationwide.

Programs like Matriculate offer virtual options. If, for instance, they're not immediately available to you in your local area — if you live in a more rural area or something like that — you have the opportunity to still be involved and still get that support that you might need. You can join from anywhere. While others like Seeds of Fortune actually have kind of a hybrid program where they have in-person workshops throughout the year, but they also have virtual workshops throughout the year as well that you can attend, it really just depends on the organization.

But most have websites where you can learn about them, and some have an application process as well where you can reach out and get involved. But it really just depends on the organization and the level of support that you need and what you want.

[0:07:20] BHA: That's great to know that some CBOs offer virtual options, too, because I'm curious about location. I expect that what students have access to could be impacted by their state or where they live or whether they're in a city or a more rural area, like you mentioned. Does that have an impact on students' access?

[0:07:37] ANJ: It does. As I mentioned earlier, if you're in a larger metropolitan area, you're going to have more options because, presumably, the need is greater, and there are more resources in those areas. For students in rural areas, access might be a little more limited, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any options. Many CBOs, as I mentioned, offer virtual programs. Even if you're in a remote area, you can still get the support you need. Plus, national organizations often reach out to underserved communities no matter where they are.

The other thing you could do if, for whatever reason, you don't find a CBO that's available in your area…When I was on the high school side, the college essay guy does a really great job of providing free resources to students, to counselors and to families on the college search process. They kind of dive deep into many aspects of the application process. It's not just what should you write about on your essay. It actually goes in and says, “If you're applying to X university, these are things you should look into and consider as you're writing this essay for this college,” and so on and so forth. There are a lot of really great resources.

It's good to always have someone to bounce things off of and guide you. In some ways, too, you can reach out to the college universities to see if they know of any CBOs or organizations that might be willing to help you as well.

[0:09:10] BT: Earlier, you mentioned a possible application process or even membership, depending on the kind of CBO that a student might be looking to be involved with. What about financial investment? Is there any cost associated with CBOs for college-bound students?

[0:09:24] ANJ: Not usually. Most CBOs are free because they're funded by grants or donations or some sort of benefactor. They're really designed to help students who might not have the resources for things like test prep or college advising. Occasionally, there might be small costs for specific programs like travel to a college campus. But even then, many organizations will cover those costs or offer some sort of financial assistance.

[0:09:49] BHA: It sounds like with a lot of these organizations out there — as a prospective high school student doing research, learning about what CBOs exist —what should a high school student look for to ensure that they're going to receive the best support possible?

[0:10:02] ANJ: Yes. I think this is where students need to own their college process and really advocate for their needs. First, looking for a CBO with a strong track record. What does that mean? Do they have testimonials on their website or on social media or stories from students who've succeeded because of their help? Also, make sure their focus aligns with your needs.

For instance, if you're worried about financial aid, seeking out CBOs that specialize in helping students with financial aid is important. Or if it's a specific major, STEM or athletics, whatever it may be, looking for CBOs that will help you navigate that process in particular, I think, would be really helpful. If you want help improving your application, look for one that offers essay workshops or mentoring. Most importantly, you want to feel like they're invested in your success and have the resources to back it up as well.

I should also mention that when we are considering and looking at organizations to work with, we're also looking at that record of results. For instance, with an organization like Matriculate, we're looking to see how they're helping their students through that process. Whether it's application completion, CSS profile completion, FAFSA completion, those are things that we're also looking at and considering as we're looking to partner with new organizations.

[0:11:35] BT: Knowing that there are CBOs that are out there who are helping students polish their essays or craft a strong application, I wonder if that makes a difference on the college side. Are application reviewers noting that students are working with these organizations, and does that have an impact?

[0:11:51] ANJ: Being a part of a CBO can be a big deal. Admissions officers know that students working with these groups often receive great preparation, so it can be a positive signal on the student's application. It shows that the student has taken initiative to find help and are serious about their education. Plus, many colleges partner with CBOs and actively recruit students from these programs because they know they're getting applicants who are ready to succeed.

Typically, on the application, depending upon what application you use, in addition to listing it as an extracurricular activity, there is a specific section where you can list it as a community-based organization as well.

[0:12:33] BHA: I completely agree, Adam, that when I review applications, I'm definitely looking for that section that says community-based organization. But one thing I do sometimes notice is a student lists something which certainly is a community organization. Maybe it's Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, or another program that they're working with in their community — but not necessarily a community-based organization in the way we're defining it in relation to college access. Can you talk about maybe what the difference is, and is there somewhere that you could look up what is a community-based organization?

[0:13:05] ANJ: Yes. That's a great question. I think there are two ways to think of this. One is something like Boy Scouts or Scouts in general or some other organization that isn't specifically college access could help strengthen the student's application, it might be more appropriate to list it as an activity with certain bullet points of the involvement, the frequency, and all those things. Because that is taken into account a little bit differently than working with an organization like Matriculate, where the context there is that the mission and goal of Matriculate is to help students to and through the college search process. Yes, I think it's important as a student to think really carefully and critically about what you're considering a college access or a community-based organization that's devoted to college access, as opposed to a national organization that is recognizing personal or academic achievements.

By way of our association with the coalition application, we are also highlighting ways in which colleges and universities are working to diversify their college campuses as well. Coalition actually has a really great list and resource of CBOs that students can access as well. That might be a really good place to start as well as you're looking and searching for an organization that might be viable for you to work with.

[0:14:47] BT: We've talked about how students work with CBOs throughout their high school journey and their application journey, but what about after a student is admitted? Do the benefits of a community-based organization end with the acceptance letter?

[0:14:59] ANJ: Not at all. This is really part of that discernment that students need to make in working with a community-based organization, depending upon what your needs are, what your support systems are already at home, right? If you have a really strong network of support at home that you know will help you navigate through the college process, then maybe you're looking for just the entry point of college. For some students, it's just about that entry point, right? They don't need any additional support. It's just navigating that system.

But for other students, it's really important to seek organizations that do the "through" part. For instance, Matriculate, they're going to be on campus at the end of this month or early in March, actually, to visit with us and members of the community because they have a program where they utilize Bucknell students to also mentor students who are going through the college search process. Their mission isn't just to get students to college, but it's also to help them navigate the systems at the college to make sure that they're well-supported in their journey. I think it really just depends on what the student’s looking for, their level of involvement.

In a lot of cases, too, they have alumni, right? There are organizations that have alumni who come back and give back, whether it's the CBO organization or give back to the college or universities that they're a part of as well.

[0:16:35] BT: I think you've given our listeners a really great lay of the land in terms of all of the benefits that CBOs have from the student perspective. As we end, I'm interested in flipping that around a little bit. Could you lend your perspective on why CBOs are important for the college admissions landscape as a whole? Why do universities like Bucknell consider them as valuable partners?

[0:16:55] ANJ: Yes. In my opinion, CBOs are a game changer in the sense that they help level the playing field by democratizing college access and making a college education more accessible to students who might not have had the same opportunities as others. For universities like Bucknell, partnering with CBOs means that they can connect with talented, driven students from all kinds of backgrounds. It’s not just about helping individual students. It’s about creating a more diverse and inclusive college environment where everyone benefits from different perspectives and experiences.

As it pertains to Bucknell and our commitment to inclusion, access, my position exists for the sole purpose of doing that. A year ago, it was me and an assistant director, right? Now, we have an entire team. We have myself. We have two assistant directors. We have an admission counselor. We have a support services person who helps us manage the data aspects and the logistical aspects of our programming. To me, that indicates that Bucknell is really serious about this work to really invest intentionally in this work.

In addition to that, the opening of the Center for Access & Success, for access scholarships specifically, also indicates to me that Bucknell is really serious about this work. I see a lot of movement. I see a lot of progress. It’s not going to happen overnight, but I'm incredibly encouraged by the steps that Bucknell is taking toward ensuring that we're setting ourselves up for a future that allows for, essentially, the diversification of our student body to the benefit of the campus community and the community as a whole here in Lewisburg as well.

[0:18:53] BHA: Adam, we have been looking forward to this episode for quite some time. We are so lucky that not only you and your entire team are here at Bucknell, but the Center for Access and Success, like you mentioned, and all of these resources. CBOs are just one way that we do that work, and recruit, and find and support really interesting and talented and diverse students throughout the application process to Bucknell or to wherever you're looking.

If you're a student listening or a family listening, we hope that you take some time to explore what CBOs might be able to do to support you and your family as you navigate the search process. Thank you, Adam.

[0:19:30] ANJ: Yes. Thank you all.

[0:19:32] BT: And thanks to everyone out there for listening. If you're a fan of the podcast, please take a moment to rate, subscribe and share this episode with the students and families in your life.

[0:19:40] BHA: We'll be back with another new episode in a few weeks. In the meantime, you can send your questions, comments and episode ideas to podcast@bucknell.edu. We read every note you send.

[0:19:51] BT: Finally, you're invited to follow Bucknell on your favorite social media apps. Just look for @bucknellu on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and TikTok. You can also follow our student-run Instagram account which is @iamraybucknell.

[0:20:04] BHA: Until next time, keep reaching for your dreams and your dream school.

[END]