Delta educator leads the way at CFES national conference

Educators and students from Delta Opportunity School played a key role at the annual CFES (College For Every Student) National Conference in Albany, N.Y. The two-day event "Pathways, Persistence, and Promise: Helping Underserved Youth Succeed in College" brought together 400 educators, students, community and corporate leaders from 24 states, representing 200 schools and 50 colleges.

In a session titled, "Engaging Families as Success Partners," Delta Opportunity School Principal Delaine Hudson spoke about the important role that parents and caregivers play in a student's life. Hudson strategized with educators and community leaders on ways to empower families to encourage and sustain their children's success in school and pursuit of higher education.

The conference was rounded out by students (grade 7 through 12) from rural and urban schools, where college attendance is becoming the norm under the influence of educators, their college partners, and the CFES programs that unite them.

When five-time NBA MVP Bill Russell addressed the conference, he emphasized the power of mentoring, one of three core practices of CFES. "There is no such thing as someone else's child," he stressed. "Each of us is responsible for the youth of our future." It's an idea not foreign to conference attendees, who through their efforts in their own school communities demonstrate their commitment to CFES's mission to put low-income youth on the path to college access and success.

In his opening remarks, CFES president and CEO Rick Dalton recognized the Colorado K-16 educators, students and mentor community, who collaboratively are giving students the resources and confidence they need to be successful in college.

CFES is a non-profit organization based in Essex, N.Y., that helps underserved students prepare for, gain access to, and succeed in college. Currently, CFES works with 200 schools in 24 states to help its 20,000 students move toward college success. Over the last six years, 96 percent of CFES high school seniors have gone on to college.

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