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GLOW taps network graduate as counselor

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One of the primary goals behind opening the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW) in August is to create a path to college for the select group of students attending the public charter school.

To help create a college pathway for these students, the school is turning to a graduate of the education network’s flagship school in New York, who said a college-degreed future for the school’s low-income students is as much about vision and discipline as it is about getting the grades.

“It’s really important to have the expectation that you’re going to go to college,” said Jahleese Ladson, who was hired in November 2016 to be the academy’s first college-bound counselor. “If we start to build that vision for them, if they can internalize it, then it’s much easier to help them prepare to be successful students.”

While college attendance is usually a decision for high school students, Ladson joins the school’s faculty to help get the 100 sixth-grade students inducted this fall thinking about higher education so they’ll not only have the grades, but also the maturity, to follow the path to college.

“The goal is that when they get to 11th grade, they will be academically, socially and emotionally ready for those challenges,” Ladson said. “It’s about teaching them how the choices they are making now will make them successful in the future. It’s why being on time, being organized, learning how to prioritize are important steps toward reaching your goals and being a successful college student.”

While serving only sixth graders now, GLOW will add a new sixth-grade class each year, giving Ladson the opportunity to build relationships with both students and their families that will be valuable when considering options for college. She’s teaching a baking class at the school to help improve her bond with students.

“When you’re talking about costs with families, those can be very sensitive discussions, and it’s helpful if you already have a relationship there,” she said.

Ladson said she understands how a school like GLOW can create and nurture the vision of college attendance because of her experiences at the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem. The New York school is the flagship institute for the Young Women’s Leadership Network, with Wilmington’s GLOW being the newest of the 18 schools.

“We had a college counselor and he helped us figure out where to apply, how much it will cost over time, what it means to take out a loan. It helped us develop a full picture of what we were doing,” Ladson said. “The ultimate goal is to place students in a position to find a college that is in line with their academic interests and that they can afford.”

After graduating from the New York school, Ladson worked to develop the curriculum of other schools in the network, eventually giving her the opportunity to visit Wilmington to help GLOW develop its curriculum in preparation for its fall opening. The experience prompted her to move from New York to Wilmington, allowing her to connect with parts of her family in Bolton, while also getting a change of pace from the big-city lifestyle.

“Living in Wilmington has been amazing,” Ladson said. “I am a New Yorker, nobody can take that from me, but I don’t have to live there. It’s really lovely here and the nice thing about living in the South is you never meet a stranger.”

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