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Health & Fitness

Local Students Celebrate Their Journey to College

College Bound Opportunities recently accepted 28 students from Deerfield, Highland Park, and Lake Forest high schools. Without CBO, many of these students would be unable to attend college.

College Bound Opportunities Welcomes 28 New Scholars Into Program

On Sunday, twenty-eight students from Highland Park High School, Deerfield High School, and Lake Forest High School came together to answer a single question: what will they be doing in 2018? The answer was simple. "YOU will be graduating from college," said Cliff Bregstone, founder of College Bound Opportunities (CBO). CBO mentors high achieving but under resourced students, and gives them the tools to get into college and graduate. These 28 students represent the newest class of CBO scholars, many of whom will be the first in their families to go to college.

Founded in 2006, CBO provides a comprehensive set of programs, including ACT Prep classes, laptops, career workshops, and financial assistance for these scholars, but most importantly, it provides a one-to-one mentorship. The students and their families met their volunteer mentors on Sunday. Each mentor will be working with their student for the next six years helping them navigate the college application process and adapt to college life. "Being a mentor allows me to make a huge difference in the life of an exceptional student," said Jonathan April, a new CBO mentor, "not only making an impact on this generation but on generations that follow." April added, "I am thrilled to be part of CBO, an organization that is enriching the lives of so many young people and so many communities." 

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The new class of 28 scholars will join 104 students already in the CBO program, including an additional 14 scholars who have earned their college degree. In its first year, the organization accepted four students. Even with this extraordinary growth, CBO still must turn away more than 50% of the applicants due to funding constraints. The students in the programs are funded entirely by private donations from the community. Addressing the students again, Cliff Bregstone stated, "You are the most important piece in your success. You have been given an incredible opportunity to realize your full potential, and I know that you will all be successful in college and your future careers."

About College Bound Opportunities:

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College Bound Opportunities (CBO) is a not-for-profit organization centered in the ten communities within Deerfield and Highland Park High School District 113 and Lake Forest Community High School District 115. CBO identifies economically disadvantaged, high-achieving young people who, without support, would likely forgo post-secondary education and assists them in applying to and completing college. CBO goals are achieved through a program of one-to-one mentoring between volunteers and scholars. Additional aid provided by CBO includes tutoring, training services, laptop computers, and up to $4,000 per year in financial support. Learn more at http://cbo4success.org

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