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 As  a  mentor  in  CUNY’s  College  
 Bridge  for  All  program,  Sebastián  Sepúlveda  
 is focused on helping high school  
 graduates navigate the tricky transition  
 to college and escape the so-called “summer  
 melt,”  a  phenomenon  in  which  all  
 too many prospective students succumb  
 to uncertainty in the restless months after  
 high school graduation and abandon  
 their college dreams.    
 Sepúlveda, who is about to begin his  
 junior year at Lehman College, is part of  
 a critical group of CUNY students who  
 are  supporting  thousands  of  graduating  
 seniors from city public high schools  
 as they navigate pre-college paperwork  
 and  financial  planning,  activities  that  
 can easily trip up incoming freshmen  
 during the long summer break, particularly  
 this year. 
 “These  are  very  difficult  times  for  
 everyone,”  says  Sepúlveda,  a  first-generation  
 college student who immigrated  
 from  Colombia  six  years  ago  and  says  
 the  scope  of  his  responsibilities  has  
 grown because of COVID-19. “This is  
 about  helping  the  community  to  make  
 sure that no one is left behind.” 
 Even in the best of times, the transitional  
 period can be a precarious stretch.  
 Studies show that as many as 40 percent  
 of  low-income  students  accepted  to  college  
 can  experience  a  “summer  melt”  
 that  prevents  them  from matriculating  
 in the fall. In the face of the pandemic-interrupted  
 spring, when graduates were  
 isolated from teachers and advisers, that  
 percentage  could  be  even  greater  this  
 coming fall. 
 That’s why CUNY is proud to offer  
 College  Bridge  for  All  as  an  essential  
 service  to  increase  access  to  postsecondary  
 education for high school  
 graduates. Thanks  to an  $877,000  grant  
 from  Bloomberg  Philanthropies  and  a  
 $250,000 grant from The Carroll and Milton  
 Petrie  Foundation,  the  program  is  
 poised to reach graduating seniors from  
 every New York City public high school  
 this year, a significant achievement that  
 has  magnified  CUNY’s  ability  to  help  
 New York and its colleges rebound from  
 the pandemic.  
 Employing  a  near-peer  approach,  
 CUNY  student  coaches share  their own  
 experiences with  graduating  seniors  to  
 convey  the  importance  of  continuing  
 to  college.  It’s  the  equivalent  of  having  
 access  to  a  guidance  counselor,  a  big  
 brother  or  sister  and  a  college  adviser,  
 all rolled into one.  
 Launched in 2016 in collaboration between  
 CUNY and the New York City Department  
 of  Education  (DOE),  the  program  
 also serves as a source of summer  
 employment, this year paying 176 CUNY  
 students  and  additional  coaches  from  
 partnering  community-based  organizations  
 to  help  thousands  of  recent  high  
 school  grads. All  told,  their  efforts will  
 support  the  entire  Class  of  2020,  about  
 55,000 recent high school grads. 
 The  benefits  to  incoming  students  
 have been clear. In 2017, participating  
 students enrolled  in  college at a  rate  11  
 percent higher than the DOE average,  
 an impact that was driven by increased  
 college  enrollment  for  students  identified  
 as low income, Latinx and/or Spanish  
 speaking. 
 CUNY is now combating summer  
 melt on multiple fronts. We recently received  
 a $175,000 grant from the Bill and  
 Melinda Gates Foundation to pilot a new  
 summer  bridge  and  persistence  peer  
 mentoring  program  that  mirrors  the  
 goals of College Bridge for All. 
 College  Bridge  for  All  coach  Cindy  
 Velíz, a junior at City Tech, describes  
 panicked  texts  from  students  who  are  
 confused  about  paperwork  and  other  
 procedural hurdles, many of them  
 soon-to-be  first-generation  college  students  
 who  lack  a  support  system  to  get  
 answers. Velíz walks them through the  
 process, easing their anxieties. 
 “I  tell  them  stories  about  my  own  
 experiences  to make  them  feel  comfortable,” 
   said  Velíz,  herself  a  first-gen  college  
 student.  “We  talk  about what  they  
 may want to major in, their college  
 schedule, the kind of career they want to  
 pursue. ... We bond over our shared experiences, 
  and I feel like they’re more prepared  
 and  excited  to  go  to  college  after  
 our talks. It makes me feel good to know  
 that I’m making a difference.” 
 Recent graduates of city public high  
 schools who are looking to connect with  
 a Bridge coach can visit here. 
  
  
  
         
  
  
 Sacred Heart Academy es una escuela preparatoria de colegio católico para niñas  
 centrada en la espiritualidad y tradición de las Hermanas de San José. El entorno de  
 todas las niñas ofrece oportunidades de aprendizaje únicas que cultivan la confianza  
 y las habilidades de liderazgo y alientan a nuestros estudiantes a "tomar la  
 iniciativa" La educación de Sacred Heart se enfoca en todas las dimensiones del  
 crecimiento humano. Como comunidad escolar, estamos comprometidos a vivir,  
 aprender y trabajar con amor inclusivo y a lograr la unidad y la reconciliación con  
 Dios y con los demás. 
 30 DE JULIO 2020  •  11