By Don Krim
The Easter break is upon us, and now begins stage four of Jóvenes Adelante’s selection process for the class of 2022. It is one of the most emotional points for all of us at JA! In 2021, 64 students progressed to this phase after completing document review of essays, qualifications, and budgets. This year 81 are progressing—an increase of 26 percent. Of these 81 hopefuls, JA will take on up to 35 new students, depending on quality, need, and financial support from our sponsors.
As virtually all students are amongst the first in their families to seek university education, we noticed this year the need to offer earlier assistance than in the past to these applicants via follow up calls, clarifying misunderstanding about the process, finding exceptions, identifying students who had tried but failed to complete the application for one technical reason or another, and extending deadlines for those who needed more time. JA’s constituents are all members of the university-eligible community of San Miguel de Allende’s extensive municipality, not just those who get into the final stages of selection, or into the program. On the contrary, those who do not get in, who fail to follow through, or who fail to ever find us are as important to learn from as our own students. We conducted over 50 interviews prior to closing the selection process in order to ascertain data which is still under review. However, of those 50 or so interviews, we mined 11 more applicants who are now in our fourth stage! More interviews will take place later with those who sought information but never entered the process. We know one reason, clearly, is our requirement for first generation applicants; thus those with professional parents already self-selected themselves out of the process, something that was not done last year. This research, these improvements, this learning is the kind of work our in-house staff can undertake, and that sends chills through all of our veins at JA, as we dig deep to continue to offer the most robust, complete university support program in San Miguel or anywhere in Mexico!If you are able to dig deep, to join our efforts to support higher education in San Miguel and would like to reserve a spot as a sponsor for the 2022 class, please contact Don Krim at donkrim@jovenesadelante.org and visit www.jovenesadelante.org. Spots are filling up fast, as we approach 30 sponsors! And while you are on the website, check out our Annual Report 2021. “This is the best annual report of any organization I have ever seen,” commented Robin Loving of the Nonprofit Solution Center.
