Access Reports
Interactive CD to Help African-American Students Prepare for College
A new, interactive CD developed by The Sallie Mae Fund offers guidance to African-American students who are preparing for college this year. 15,000 copies of the CD were released in September to coincide with the 2006 Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference held in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Black Caucus members and Kathleen deLaski, president of The Sallie Mae Fund, unveiled the free resource at the CBC Spouses Essay Contest and Issue Forum. Titled "The Key: An Interactive Guide to Planning and Paying for College" (PDF, 90KB), the CD contains a wealth of information on college preparation and features celebrities such as actress and talk-show host Ananda Lewis, Grey's Anatomy actor Isaiah Washington, and Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.
Additional information that can be found on the CD includes a section on test preparation, a research tool to learn about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), tutorials on essay writing and college applications, free access to SAT and ACT online preparation, as well as financial aid options and tips.
The Sallie Mae Fund developed the CD after hearing from Sallie Mae's Historically Black College and University Advisory Council that African-American students and their parents needed a resource to help with their college preparation. The CD is a part of The Sallie Mae Fund's multifaceted African-American College Access Campaign, launched in October 2005, to improve access to higher education among African-American students. The campaign was developed after research commissioned by The Fund found that more than 90% of African-American families believe that a college education is an important part of success in life and that a full 25% of African-American students could not name a single source of financial aid.
Copies of the CD may be ordered at www.salliemaefund.org.
