2022 HAMILTON AWARD INFO WEBINAR

Originally broadcasted on Dec. 15, 2021.

Transcript:

Mikala Lain: Welcome to an overview of the Hamilton Award and the Hamilton Empowerment Program. We are excited that you could join us today, and look forward to sharing more with you about our program.

We have a few objectives for today’s session: The first is just to provide you with a brief overview of the empowerment program. What we do at Hamilton Scholars is very comprehensive, and it can be hard to distill it for a promotional flyer or email blast, so we are glad to have this opportunity to discuss it in more detail. Then we are thrilled to have two Scholars on the line who will be sharing some of their experiences as Hamilton Scholars. The best way to learn about the program is from those who have participated in it, so we really appreciate them being with us today. Last, we will have a chance at the end of the session for a brief Q&A to discuss any questions you still have. For the next 20 minutes or so we will go over AHS’ Vision & Mission discuss the award itself and explain what receiving the award means, and go over important program elements such as our Pillars of Success, Leader Weeks, and Program Goals. We will close out with a conversation with current Scholars and end with answering your questions.

Today’s session will be facilitated by me, Mikala Lain, the Program Director at Hamilton Scholars and an alumni of the program. I'm currently wearing a floral shirt with a black blazer. I have a Hamilton background behind me

We are also joined by Elias Olson, our Communications & Data Coordinator. Elias will be providing live captioning for our webinar today.

You can choose to view or hide the captions by selecting the caption button in your Zoom toolbar. We will be transitioning to automatic captioning while our students speak and for the Q&A at the end. The fully captioned presentation as well as a transcript will be provided on our website after this live session.

Elias, would you like to say a few words and a quick hello?

[Elias Olson] Hi everyone! As Mik mentioned, my name is Elias Olson. I'm the Communications & Data Coordinator at  here at AHS; I have brown hair, I wear glasses, and I'm currently wearing a t-shirt and cardigan.

[Mikala Lain] We are also so happy to be joined by Bella Garcia and DJ Wynter from our most recent cohort. These students won the Hamilton Award last year, and are seniors in high school right now. Bella and then DJ, can you introduce yourself and provide a verbal description of yourselves, please?

[Bella] Hi, I'm Bella. I have brown hair and glasses and I'm wearing a blue shirt.

[DJ Wynter] Hi everyone, I'm DJ Wynter. I'm wearing a red crewneck, black jacket, and a black hat, and happy to be here

[Mikala Lain] Thanks again to Bella and DJ for being a part of today’s session. We will check back with them in a few minutes.

Now I wanted to take a moment to tell you about the Mission and Vision of AHS.
Our mission is what we do: empower high-achieving, underserved young leaders to thrive in college and beyond. Our vision is the impact we strive to have: to one day have a community of ethical leaders who break barriers to build an equitable society. In short, it is not just about the 40 Scholars that will travel to New York and participate in the AHS model of youth development. Rather, it is about giving these Scholars the necessary tools to succeed so they, in turn, can pass these same tools on to their communities and be agents of positive change. We strive to provide resources to underrepresented, low-income students across the nation.

Here you can see the demographics of one of our recent cohorts. These Scholars represent each region of the country, with several coming from urban communities and a wide array of backgrounds and cultures. 80% were first generation students, and the median household income for our Scholars is almost half the national average. You can learn more about our scholars on our website, where you can also read their inspiring biographies.

Forty students from across the nation are selected annually as winners of the Hamilton Award and join a cohort of their peers as Hamilton Scholars. Through the course of the five-year Empowerment Program, Scholars receive mentorship, practical guidance, and a comprehensive network of support, much like Hamilton did. Once these students are awarded, they are enrolled in the 5-year empowerment program, receive a $500 cash award at the beginning and end of the program, receive a laptop before entering college, are invited at no cost to attend annual leadership conferences in varying cities, receive college application as well as scholarship and financial aid guidance, individual and group support, and professional mentorship matches and networking opportunities.

In addition, all winners will have access to AHS internship programs and will join a distinguished cohort of peers from across the US. This unique Scholar community extends back through 15 years of cohorts, and supports one another as they take steps together towards achieving a college education and a meaningful career, eventually becoming leaders who change their own communities, our nation, and our world through their service, innovation, and excellence.

The program consists of individual support through phone calls, video conferencing, and emails with AHS staff members and an assigned peer Scholar mentor. Group support and learning is offered through conference calls and Leader Weeks.

All curriculum is designed around our 5 Pillars of Success: Transition, Heritage, Empowerment, Financial Literacy, and Leadership. Let’s take a closer look at each. When a student graduates from the five-year empowerment program, we define success as them reaching the following benchmarks in each pillar.

Transition - successfully transitioning from high school to college, and college to whatever comes next.

Heritage - having an increased knowledge of how the true history of the United States connects both with the Scholar’s individual journey and the collective national experience. The student has shown increased civic engagement and participation in community governance.

Empowerment - the student has established and fulfilled goals in each of the seven areas we focus on in their personal development plan financial, career, educational, public service, family & friends, personal, and spiritual. The student’s goals are also in line with their values and guiding principles.

Financial Literacy - The student graduates college with manageable debt and a solid understanding of personal budgeting, saving money, and investing in future financial health.

And finally, Leadership - Inspired by Alexander Hamilton’s legacy of leadership through service, the student prioritizes and values their responsibility to use their talents and skills to effect positive change in their communities, the nation, and the world, and have an overall understanding of the importance of social impact and legacy.

These pillars are ingrained in everything we do, from conference calls, to assignments, to our annual in-person conferences. Each year of the program includes an all-expenses paid leadership conference hosted in various cities.

When a student enters our program, they connect with us in New York City the summer before their senior year of high school to learn about college readiness. We talk with college and financial aid counselors about writing an essay, filling out a FAFSA, and how to make a college list. The summer between high school graduation and their first year of college, the student comes to Seattle, where our main office is located, to discuss the college transition. We focus on the social-emotional aspects of the transition so they know what to expect.

Between their first and second year in college, the student travels to Puerto Rico to discuss how their first year went and learn about cultural humility, global citizenship, and leadership through service. During the fall of their junior year, they then go to Dallas, Texas to begin thinking about what might come next, whether it be graduate school, a gap year to engage in service, or transitioning into a career with their degree.

The last year of the program is then dedicated to providing support during that transition process

We will hear more about Leader Weeks from Bella and DJ in a moment, but each is specifically designed for key transition points in the student’s life. These conferences seek to provide the opportunity for the Scholar community to come together and learn, grow, and support one another.

Now we can get to the best part of the session- hearing from the Scholars themselves! We are now going to transition to automatic captioning.

Awesome, so Bella and DJ if you would like to join me on video. We have just a few questions for the two of you, and then I'm sure our audience has questions for you as well.

[Mikala Lain] Awesome, hello both, thank you so much for being here. So I'm going to start by asking DJ, the first question:

So DJ you won the Hamilton award last year and joined your cohort at virtual New York leader week in July, because of the pandemic. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience and how it was connecting with your fellow Hammies and other AHS staff and what did you learn during that week?

[DJ] Yeah, no problem. So if like me and hate zoom, I honestly hate Zoom with a passion. So being on Zoom for like five hours at first seemed very dreadful, but the staff and the Hamilton staff made it very engaging. So, during the zoom -- during the week -- I had a lot of fun, like I said, it was a lot of fun and the leader week was a really good way to connectI made a lot of friendships with Cohort; like, Bella is one of my besties -- we talked a lot, with them.

One big thing that we do is our personal heritage stories. We all share stories of our own life and it shows that we're all similar in so many ways, and allows us to connect even more. And besides that it was very informative, it was like my big push to start collar apps. They've really helped me a lot, they gave lot of information about college apps and the whole college process And it was scary at first but, Lynell and Kelly will get you through it. Same with all the Hamilton staff, they are so supportive. And I'm just everyday, I think, thank God the universe gave me such a good program. And Leader Weeks are really, really great.

[Mikala I love that DJ! We are so grateful to have you as a part of the program as well, for sure. And anybody listening to this session right now, please feel free to use the Q&A in zoom, or comment on Facebook if you have any questions for the Hamilton staff or our students. We will definitely have time to answer all of your questions at the end of this presentation.

And so now, Bella, I'm going to ask you as another 2021 Hammie: How has AHS helped you through the college application and financial aid process?

[Bella] Yeah, okay for context Kelly and Lynell are the college advisors that we get, just like if I ever reference them, but it has been a godsend. It originally started and leader week like DJ mentioned, we kind of like went over all the financial aid terms like you know what IDOCs, what a CSS Profile was, just all the important things that I honestly, I wouldn't have known, where to even begin so that was already like amazing. And then with college applications, I personally had Kelly- Oh, no, I had Lynell -- sorry, sometimes I'd talk to Kelly too. I had Lynell as my personal college advisor and it was amazing; You kind of find your right vibe with her. So for other ones I knew that was kind of, like, you had to like have a session, like you know, kind of work through it, and other you send her the essay, she sends it back -- but it was, like, I had like Lynell stamp of approval when I applied to like most of my schools, I was like, okay like everyone's right except Lynell, so like, let me just send it to her and after she reads it and likes -- it's all good -- that's when I'll send it out.

So it's honestly, it's been a miracle. It's been really nice having kind of that support, I can always be like, oh, by the way Lynell, I have some stuff due tomorrow, could you quickly look over this and she always does -- so it's been amazing.

[Mikala] Oh, I love to hear that and I completely agree with both of you. Lynell and Kelly are such cornerstones of the Hamilton program. Lynell Engelmyer, Kelly Harrington, if you are out there listening right now, we are so grateful for both of you and all of the time and energy you pour into Hamilton. They are amazing college and financial aid counselors, and we wouldn't be able to do what we do without them; so, thank you both for highlighting all of the important work they do with us. And so DJ, I'm going to go back to you for a moment, and Bella I'm actually going to ask you the same question: So if there's any students out there listening right now who are high school juniors and thinking about applying for the 2022 Hamilton award.

So if there's any students out there listening right now who are high school juniors and thinking about applying for the 2022 Hamilton award, What would you tell them, and do you have any tips as they work on their application?

[DJ] I would have to say that out of all the programs programs Hamilton is the best one. I know like many of us, you apply to many programs like LEDA, USC Bovard Scholars -- all of them. And I've applied to a lot of them, and I gotta say Hamilton is my favorite. I am biased, of course, but definitely apply to Hamilton. And, if I'm giving tips I would say that, be yourself. Honestly, when I reread my Hamilton app in February [thinking] okay, I'm not getting this all -- but I got it. So, really have confidence in yourself, and just really show them who you are. In your essay tell a story -- do a lot of showing, not telling. Make sure that we can feel the essays that you're writing us. And put everything you got, everything that you did in high school, and just put your best foot out there, and hopefully you'll join us next year.

And, so yes, just show us what you got. And just really be yourself -- which is generic, but that's all I can really say.

[Bella] Yeah, totally agree 100%. I think, more in terms of like why they should apply, I feel like juniors when they're like in the stage of their life, I was just applying to so many programs, like, random ones just because I was like forced to due to other programs that I'm in. It was just kind of nice seeing Hamilton and to know more about them, because, when I first saw it I was like: "oh my gosh, five years. Like, that's crazy" but like believe like I'm almost done with my first year -- It just gone by too fast. I think it's just such a niche program that it touches on the things that other programs don't really focus on, especially that transition from high school to college and even college to career. Like, getting you through college is so much more important -- not more important -- but it's not as as emphasized, as you know, just getting to college in general. So definitely take that into consideration when you're thinking about where to apply, and I think for advice, I'd put a lot of thought into the essays -- be genuine and put a lot of thought -- but I've actually recycled some of them for regular decision apps. The prompts are kind of similar in some aspects, but like, put your best foot forward now because come senior year it's gonna be really helpful, regardless of where you end up so that's my advice to you.

[Mikala] I absolutely agree, thank you both so much. So I'm going to ask you a couple questions I did not prepare you for before this call, but I wanted to make sure I got your authentic answers.

So I've been able to hear from both of you, as has the audience, about your experience with leader week and [the] college application process -- which I know you both are definitely in the midst of right now. So, tell us a little bit about what being a Hamilton Scholar is like outside of New York leader week, are there any conference calls or assignments that stick out to you? Or, maybe you would want to talk about the check-ins or the bonding calls, and, either of you can answer first -- whoever's ready.

[DJ] I think it's a vague statement, but I want to say, you get in what you put in -- like, you give what you get- no. What you put in is what you get out of it. So the more you put into the program, the more you get out of it. There's plenty of calls to join, and all that. Some are mandatory, some are not. But, for example, two weeks ago we had a bonding call. At first I was scared to join because I honest didn't want to, but, I joined and it really fun and a good time to bond with my fellow Hammies. And like I said like, Lynell and Kelly really like- At first I didn't reach out to them at all, but now they'll send me emails and say "Hey DJ, how are you doing?" And it opened [me] up so because Lynell has really saved me in terms of college apps. She really got me through it. And she's just always there for you. Lynell [and Kelly] are there for you all the time, and that's really good. But like I said -- on the flip side -- if you're not active, if you're not responding to emails, if you're not responding to anything else, you won't get much out of it. So I do want to say, if you do join the program, please, please, please be involved because that's how you get the most out of it. For example, I met like eight Hamilton Scholars through college tours and it's been so great! Like, I visited Stanford two months ago and I met Chris, who is a Hamilton Scholar. It opened up a whole new relationship I have with him now. Me and him, we text regularly now and he's been a huge help with college apps. So, be involved in programs because there's so much that they want to give and they're going to give you, but you got to take advantage of the opportunities.

[Bella] I think, for me, the biggest thing is just the support; I think the program really emphasizes the support in community that you're going to get, but you also feel so much support from the staff. Like, I just had my check-in call a couple weeks ago with Mikala, and it was just so nice to see a familiar face and someone that wasn't bombarding me with, "where are you going to college" -- all these financial aid 'have you done this.' And it was just like how are you doing, how's life? It was very comforting to hear that. Definitely, I appreciate the support so much from the other Hammies. We have a Discord and we are texting on that all the time and just, like, texting each other [our] random achievement. It's nice to have that space, but it's also really nice to have a big group of adults that no matter, you know, come and go, and from the program they're still going to be there supporting you and 'you know let me know about anything new.' So, I think the support and biggest thing for me outside of Leader Week because it just keeps going.

[Mikala] Yes, I have to say, I totally agree, and definitely providing support to Hammies is my favorite part of being a staff member, but that was also my favorite part when I went through the program. So, for anybody listening, I am a 2015 Hammie -- so I am an alumni of the program -- and I was able to go through the full five years, and I was able to experience some things I'm very excited for DJ and Bella to experience in the coming years. So I was the AHS program intern in 2018, and that was my first time leaving Indiana, and I had the opportunity to move out to Seattle for a few months and work with the Hamilton program. I have to say that our internship program is one of the most pivotal parts that I've seen be a game changer for our students going through the program, especially because we have internships in all areas. So we have some related to advocacy, some related to medical fields, Some related to youth empowerment like Hamilton. And we also provide additional funding for any Hammies who have found internship opportunities that are underpaid, or not paid at all, to make sure that they can take advantage of those opportunities.

I also want to highlight here something that I'm really proud of with the Hamilton program is our UndocuHammie support. So we do extend our program to undocumented students, and we have some special curriculum and funding for those students so that they can also take advantage of the college transition process. So there are lots of other avenues that our program supports that I'm really excited for Bella and DJ to be able to take advantage of in the coming years, and I'm so excited to see you both in Seattle this next summer, it's going to be absolutely amazing!

And so I have one last question for you both, and then we're going to wrap up and hopefully be able to answer some questions from our audience here in a few minutes. But I wanted to ask, lastly: What has it meant for you to be a Hamilton scholar? And, if I were to ask you, what does a Hamilton scholar look like to you; how would you describe them? And again, I'll give you both a minute to think. Whoever is ready first, you can absolutely answer.

[Bella] OK, I can go first. Okay, I think for me being a Hamilton Scholar and getting into the program, it meant a lot of things in terms of what kind of college I was going to be going to because they definitely encourage you to  achieve higher and not settle for anything. So it definitely was really important in that aspect. But, I think it also meant that I was gonna forever have at least a minimum of 40 other, or like, 39 other people that were always going to support me no matter what -- and obviously it's way more with all the staff and the alumni and other Scholars. So, having that support system forever. And I think for me, a Hamilton Scholar just looks like someone that's so involved in their own community and, for me, Hamilton Scholars look like overachievers -- like literally like all of them -- in the best way possible. I feel like everyone in the programs is doing this, and this, and this, and this; I think if I had to describe what do they look like, I think that they're overachievers in the best way possible. Because, I feel like we all kind of have the same goal of wanting to help our families and the people around us, and just being the best version of ourselves. So that's what Hamilton Scholar is to me.

[DJ] Yes, Mikala, can you do me a favor and repeat the question for me please?

[Mikala] Yeah, absolutely. So, what has it meant for you to be a Hamilton Scholar, and, what does a Hamilton Scholar look like to you?

[DJ] Okay, thank you.

Being in Hamilton Scholars has meant the world, honestly, it means so much to me. Getting into the program, like I said, really changed my life for the best. Last year when I was applying, where you guys are at, I was so lost and confused as to where I would be next year -- so, I'm at school, so if you hear background noise, that's the background noise -- But, I was really lost, like, 'where am I going to go -- what's next,'  and this program really helped guide me to the next steps in my life. And, I really appreciated that so much, and it really means so much, because it allowed me to do so much and allowed me to meet great people.

As for a second question, as to who Hamilton Scholars are: anybody and everybody. Our cohort is so diverse with so many different thoughts and so many different ideas, and I love that because I learn so much. For example, me and Bella exchanged statements: like, oh my god, I had no idea this is who you are at all! And it really allowed me to open my mind. And, for me, I love learning and learning about new people, new ideas, and new cultures, and I love that. And another example, I sent Rizzy -- who's a Hamilton Scholar -- I sent her a quote with my perspective on the quote, and she was like, 'oh yeah, I like that quote too,' but her had a whole different idea of a quote, and it really just opened my mind, like, oh my god. A lot of Hammies are very like-minded and strong-minded, and it will really allow you to grow as a person. I really do love and enjoy that.

[Mikala] Fantastic. Well thank you both. I am going to ask you to stay on the call for a few more minutes, and any audience members, If you have questions for Bella or DJ about their experience in the program you can use the Q&A on Zoom. They will be typing in responses as we go, and they will be marking some questions to be answered live at the end. So you can ask anything that you would like, and we definitely have some Hamilton staff members on as well, that can answer any questions from the staff perspective.

So we are now going to transition back to live captioning.

If you’ve been listening and this program seems like a great fit for you or someone you know, we want to provide some information about what type of students we are looking for. The Hamilton Award recognizes young people for their academic, personal, service and entrepreneurial accomplishments. Winners are high-achieving, service-focused high school juniors with grit, perseverance, and demonstrated need. To be eligible, you must currently be a junior in high school. While we do look for students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, there is a space on the application to explain why a GPA might be lower than this, and we do look at the application holistically. We recognize that we have all been living in unanticipated times, so we are flexible on this requirement. If selected, you must be ready to participate in all five years of the program to the best of your ability and you have to be planning to attend college and complete a college degree within the United States. You must participate in New York Leader Week during July of 2022, and this will take place in New York City as long as it is safe to travel. Since we are looking for students with demonstrated need, we usually require that your household’s adjusted gross income be less than $100,000 a year however there is also space on the application to explain if you have extenuating financial obligations that we will take into account. Finally, you must be high-achieving, service-focused, and possess grit and perseverance.

If this sounds like you and you are ready to apply, you can access the application through our website at hamiltonscholars.org/apply. This is where you can also find more information about eligibility, view bios of past Hammies, and find answers to commonly asked questions. If you are a parent or high school counselor joining this call, you can learn more about how we prioritize safety our curriculum and ideology, and more by visiting our website at hamiltonscholars.org/apply/#for-parents, or hamiltonscholars.org/counselor. If you have questions after this session ends, you can email us at program@hamiltonscholars.org or give us a call at 206-460-0760.

I will open it up now for questions you currently have for me, or DJ and Bella. So we have now moved back to auto captioning, and I am pulling the Q&A up now. And if anybody has questions for one of our students, or one of our staff members, please feel free to type them in and we will answer to the best of our abilities.

So our first question is: Can Junior students, who are also early college high school students -- who are currently getting college credit in high school -- still apply to be considered a Hamilton Scholar?

And the answer is: absolutely. So as long as you are a high school junior in any high school in the United States, you can absolutely apply for our program.

Our next question is can Hamilton Scholars also apply for EOP when they are seniors in high school.

So, the answer, which is a phrase that we commonly [credit] to our financial aid counselor Lynell, is 'it depends.' So, as long as they are in our program as juniors in high school, we do help our students apply to other programs that are going to give them the most benefits as they go through the college application process. And we do encourage them to apply ED (early decision) and EA (early action) to several different schools, but we are really focused on what is going to be the best fit for our students and give them the resources that they need so we can meet them where they are at.

We have another question in: Do students need to be vaccinated to attend leader week?

So the answer is: yes. If we do leader weeks in person, which crossing fingers that is what we are planning for next year, as long as it is safe for students and staff to travel, we will require all students to be vaccinated and all of our staff to be vaccinated as well.

I also have a question here that I am assuming is for DJ and Bella. And this is: what is your favorite memory from New York leader week?

So I know I have plenty of these as a staff member, but do either of you have an answer to this question that you would like to share since you most recently went through as a student?

[DJ] For, my favorite memory would be the the personal heritage story. Like I said earlier, it was really cool be able to resonate with my fellow Hammies and it's like really hear their story and it opened some wounds, but it allowed us to heal those wounds together and I just really loved that so much.

[Bella] Definitely have to agree with DJ. Also, I didn't get to watch the whole thing, but I really enjoyed watching the Hamilton play. It on Disney+, with the Hammies, it was just fun -- just kind of like the simple, you know, kind of things. That's my favorite part.

[Mikala] Yes, Personal Heritage is one of my favorite sessions

To give context for everybody listening, students complete a heritage project each year in the program and as they go through the program, it becomes more and more advanced to relate to our communities as a whole. So their first year they start out naming a personal heritage hero, and then they move on to be thinking about others who are role models to them and then they move on to be thinking about others who are role models to them. They do some group projects around social movements, and they also relate it to how they can give back to their community, which is very special.

So we also have a question here: How many scholars do we accept each year?

So each year we are bringing in 40 students, and at the beginning of the program they will receive a $500 Award, and then at the end of the five years they will also receive an additional $500 award to help with whatever happens next, whether that be to buy clothes for work, to apply for GRE, anything like that.

As far as how many students apply annually -- that is a great question.

So we are a very competitive program. We usually have several hundred students, if not over 1000 students applying each year, and of those we cull it down to the top 40. So we have a rigorous judging process that takes four months to complete, where we have alumni of the program, past staff members, and some of our most dedicated volunteers who come in and help us through every step of the judging process to find who our next cohort of Hamilton scholars is going to be

A question from a student: If I decide to submit my SAT, would that affect my application in any way?

This is also a great question. So test scores and letters of recommendation are entirely optional, but they do help support your application. So nobody would ever be penalized if they do not submit test scores, especially in the conditions, you're living in currently, but our judges do take that test score into account when thinking about academic rigor. We also do look at several other factors for academic accomplishments, such as, how big your school was, your class rank, your GPA again, And we also look at what resources your school had, to be able to put everybody on as equal a playing field as we can.

So a question, I'm assuming from a teacher or counselor, If a student asks me for a recommendation, does the students submit it, or would I submit it to the program?

And so what will happen is on our online application, the student has to put in information for the person they would like to submit their letter of recommendation, And then the system sends an email to that person to be able to fill it out on their side. And so for letters of recommendation, we provide a series of scripted questions on the application portal, if you are somebody that likes to give short answers to be answering what we're looking for in those letters, or you're absolutely free to write your own letter of recommendation and upload it as a PDF or Word document, and forgo those scripted questions, but the student has to put your information in to be their recommender, and then you will receive an email to finish completing it on your side.

So the next question is: how will in-person Leader Week's help over virtual ones?

And this is a very interesting question because we've been doing virtual Leader Weeks for the past two years, but we've been doing in-person Leader Weeks for several years before that. And so virtual leader weeks, still cover all of the same information as our in-person Leader Weeks, New York Leader Week specifically, students were still able to meet with college counselors all up and down the East Coast, they still have their one on one sessions with financial aid counselors and college admission counselors, and they still receive all of the same resources and guidance they would if we were in person. We also wanted to emulate the personal bonding that happens whenever we are in-person, and so we had a series of bonding sessions over zoom where we played games together. We all hung out, we watched Hamilton the musical together, but nothing quite beats in-person time to talk and get to know one another. So in person leader weeks are absolutely our favorite because students are really able to spend a lot of their free time together learning and growing alongside each other, and we often find that students have very similar backgrounds, and so this also gives them time to know each other on a more social-emotional level, so that as they start the next five years of the program. They've already developed that bond with each other and with staff members, so that they feel truly supported as a family and more so than just a scholarship community.

So these are great questions everyone if anybody has others they would like to submit, we will give it a few more minutes here.

Awesome. So as we wrap up here I do have a request to go back to these links, for you all to be able to find our application.

So if you are joining right now and you are a prospective student who is a current high school junior, please feel free to go to our website at hamiltonscholars.org/apply. And that is where you can find a link to the live application, we have some more frequently asked questions on there about filling out the application or eligibility. And you can also find links to where you can see the rest of the 2021 cohort, you can read Bella and DJs biographies, or you can see the college decisions from our 2020 cohort, who are currently freshman in college right now.

If you are joining us as a community member or high school counselor, and you'd like to get to know us from more of a logistics level or if you want to see more of our demographics, We have the same infographic we shared on this call with the 2021 cohort demographics, you can go to our website at hamiltonscholars.org/counselor. And there we have lots of information about the importance of our program, how we differentiate from other scholarship programs and things like that.

And then finally, if you are joining us as a parent of hopefully a future Hammie, You can also go to our website at Hamilton scholars.org/apply/#for-parents, and we have additional information there for you as well.