The Diversity Parents’ Council (DPC) held its inaugural meeting on November 17. The focus of the first meeting was CollegeTracks’ community work, singled out by DPC parents for the unparalleled work Ms. Guevara has done for the BCC community. CollegeTracks celebrates 20 years of supporting low-income, first-generation-to-college students this month.

The DPC is a parent-run organization that provides a forum for parents to gain assistance, guidance, and support to ensure their child’s education is in top shape. This is made possible through positive encouragement, critical evaluation, advocacy, and leadership skills; the forum brings in shared information each week to parents who question their role in their child’s education. The DPC makes a point to include families of all backgrounds, especially “minority students”. 

The first meeting began with DPC Co-Chairs Lisa Taylor and Paula Andalo discussing Montgomery County’s CollegeTracks, a program designed to provide free college preparation and career exploration to high school juniors and seniors that will be first-generation college applicants from low-income and immigrant households.

Not every family has equal access to college preparation, such as private tutors or test prep classes. Ms. Beatriz Guevarra, the Program Director for B-CC’s CollegeTracks program, knows this. Located in A220, Mrs. Guevarra’s goal is to ensure that every student who graduates from B-CC has the opportunity to complete college or technical school regardless of their family’s income.

Throughout the meeting, the DPC addressed multiple needs that CollegeTracks helps to satisfy, from SAT/ACT test prep to scholarship applications. According to Ms. Guevara’s statistics, CollegeTracks has an estimated 60% of students applying to at least one college and another 58% applying to one four-year college. The numbers speak for themselves and fulfill DPC’s mission of connecting families and students to helpful tools like CollegeTracks.