This slideshow could not be started. Try refreshing the page or viewing it in another browser.
At Personal Statement Weekend, each student works one-on-one with a trained volunteer for five hours to draft their personal statement. Most students went into this year’s GLAPSW thinking that it was going to be a long day:
“When I first got here, I thought that the whole experience would be pretty boring and slow-paced but now that I’ve had a couple of hours to work on everything it’s actually pretty fun getting to meet new people and get to know your mentor. You’re getting work done, so that’s the best part of it: you’re having fun while getting work done.” —Zenobia, Manual Arts High School senior
Students left Personal Statement Weekend with newfound confidence. After working with her volunteer, high school senior Kenya said:
“Prior to this, I had three drafts completed since I’ve been working on them before this, and once I came here I already have one PIQ that’s almost ready to be submitted into the application itself, which is a great thing for me because I wasn’t sure if it was ready.” —Kenya, Manual Arts High School senior
Many volunteers have participated in Personal Statement Weekend for multiple consecutive years. What keeps them coming back?
“I am very interested in the progress of young people. I want to put as much into that as I can. Helping young people do more, be more, become what they want to be, I think that’s why I keep coming back.” —Steph White, four-year Personal Statement Weekend volunteer
“They appreciate you and you appreciate them – it’s very mutual. I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people. In this particular time, I think you really need to be kind and helpful.” —Ellen Seidner, five-year Personal Statement Weekend volunteer
Students and volunteers alike gave 826LA a shout-out for over a decade of supporting students who dream of going to college:
“Congratulations, you guys! You are doing a very beautiful job in supporting young students in getting ahead. It is very good that these types of events exist because they help a lot. It is [an event] that many can take advantage of and I congratulate you.” —Victor, Manual Arts High School senior
“Go 826LA, T, Marisa, the whole group. You have been doing an excellent job, basically, around the whole city. You’ve helped a lot of young people progress and get to places where they want to go.” —Steph White, four-year Personal Statement Weekend volunteer
Congratulations to all of the staff and volunteers for putting on a tremendously successful event. Two days, several hundred students impacted and we’ve got ten years of this event and looking forward to ten more years. It is so well run, so well organized and I think the students and volunteers get a lot out of it. —Ben, 826LA Board Member
Thank you to all the volunteers, students, and 826LA staff that made the 10th Annual Great Los Angeles Personal Statement Weekend an impactful event for everyone involved.
Post GLAPSW survey results show:
[ezcol_1half]99% of students felt more prepared to apply to college
100% of students felt more confident about their personal statements
96% of students received help from GLAPSW that they otherwise wouldn’t have received
100% of students made significant progress on their personal statements
[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]99% of students felt that the adults they worked with cared about their success in school
99% of students showed interest in participating in more writing activities with 826LA
100% of students would recommend other students to attend GLAPSW
100% of students felt proud of their personal statements after working with a tutor[/ezcol_1half_end]
Thank You
826LA thanks the students, educators, and staff of the participating high schools:
Academic Leadership Community (ALC), Los Angeles School of Global Studies, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, West Adams Preparatory High School, Manual Arts Senior High School, College Track Watts, Ánimo Watts College Preparatory Academy, Ánimo Jackie Robinson, and Ánimo Leadership
Volunteers from Nickelodeon
A special thank you to our Corporate Partners who came together to support high school seniors during GLAPSW:
CAA
Nickelodeon Animation Studios
USC Good Neighbors Campaign
Writers Guild Foundation
Thank you to our supporters:
Trader Joe’s
Starbucks
ER Copies
What’s next?
Throughout the school year, the In-Schools program works with thousands of students. If you have daytime weekday availability, you can still sign up to support students by visiting the Projects Calendar. If you have not done so already, you must complete a TB Test in order to participate in our Writers’ Room and In-Schools programming. It’s easy, and (relatively) painless. You can read more about TB testing information here.
Not an 826LA volunteer yet? Sign up for an upcoming Volunteering 101!
Photos by Jorge Segura. See more photos from the 10th GLAPSW on our Flickr page here.
