Letter from the COOL Team

Our kids, the kids you serve, are a resilient bunch. And while the road to the end of the 2021-2022 school year for COOL was one of unexpected detours, speed bumps and oftentimes fast paced deadlines, the COOL Team was there to help navigate our students to their destination – college.   Whether it be taking our students to visit college campuses, presenting over 125 classroom workshops, or just spending one-on-one time mentoring our current and former COOL students, we were there to help them discover which road they should embark on.

One of the biggest stops on our journey this year was navigating through the FAFSA requirement handed down through the state of Texas. In the summer of 2019, Texas passed House Bill 3, requiring all high school seniors to complete the FAFSA to graduate for the 2021-2022 school year. The COOL counselors partnered with the guidance counselors on their campus to ensure each student with plans to attend college completed their FAFSA. Those that chose the military or workforce after graduation could opt out of this requirement. With a graduating class of 1000 seniors in 2022, this was a daunting task and could not have been completed without the help of the COOL Team.

The goal of the COOL Program is to get students to and through college and we are committed to being their co-pilots as they launch into a new chapter of their lives. It’s students like first-generation college student Alyssa Riley, who credits the COOL Program as one of the reasons why she will graduate Hardin Simmons University in December and make her mark as a Physician Assistant and passionate advocate. Stories like hers remind us that COOL is one of the most important navigation tools a student in AISD can access. As we look at the year ahead, we will continue to focus on serving students like Alyssa, who need us. While we can’t predict the future in these unprecedented times, what we do know is COOL is as important as ever and we will continue to guide those who need us most.

 Thank you for your generosity, and unwavering support that allowed the COOL Program to serve those most vulnerable in our communities this year. Most importantly, thank you for ensuring that our kids have a shot at great futures!

The COOL Team