SEO Scholars Program welcomes Class of 2014

February 2, 2011 by Jeffrey Holmes

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity held its orientation for its Class of 2014 Scholars Program. Group of 200 9th and 10th grade students and their parents were given an overview of what will be expected of SEO, parents and students over the next years of high school. The event was photographed for SEO by

SEO Scholars Program Orientation for the Class of 2014 at Credit Suisse on January 29, 2011. Students and their parents receive an overview of the program expectations from the students, parents and SEO.

Jeffrey Holmes Photography, a professional New York photographer is a creative corporate event photographer. SEO engages him as their photographer for events and event photography New York.

The Scholars Program, an out-of-school academic enrichment program, and the founding program of SEO, helps motivated students of color from New York City public high schools matriculate and succeed at the most competitive colleges in the country.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity photographed by Jeffrey Holmes, event photographer

Admissions: Students applying to the Scholars Program must submit an application form, essays, the most recent high school report card or transcript and a teacher recommendation. A personal interview is also required.

Who SEO Serves
The SEO Scholars Program works with students who have the capacity for high achievement, yet have not had the opportunity to attend a school where they receive the academic preparation needed for competitive college admissions and success. Our analysis of students entering New York City high schools indicates that approximately 25,000 – 28,000 ninth grade students meet our admissions criteria and could benefit from the curriculum each year.

SEO recruits students from our affiliate schools and through a city-wide outreach effort. In the 2010-11 program year, the Scholars Program will serve 340 high school students and 206 college students. Nearly 60% of our high school students are from households where the annual family income is less than $33,000.

Program Impact: The SEO Scholars Program is pursuing a new paradigm in Out-of-School Time (OST) education – a paradigm that centers on intensive year-round academic preparation in order to ensure that underserved New York City public high school students are truly college-ready.

The program is having a significant impact on the high school grades, SAT scores and college-readiness of our students. We believe the success of our high school graduating Class of 2010 demonstrates the effectiveness of the program:

Ninety-three percent of the Class of 2010 (61 students) are attending a college ranked Most, Highly or Very Competitive by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges.
These colleges include Babson College, Cornell University, Mount Holyok College, University of Notre Dame, Wesleyan University and Williams College.
Scholars earned more than $1.5 million in scholarships and awards for their first year of college.
Two SEO Scholars were winners of the Gates Millennium Scholarship.
Five Scholars were awarded full, four-year tuition scholarships through the Posse Foundation.
Two Scholars were Horatio Alger Scholarship winners and will receive a $20,000 scholarship annually.
A Scholar was one of five students nationally to be awarded the Leonore Annenberg College Scholarship, covering tuition and fees, room and board, books, a laptop and a modest stipend.

Scholars Program students have also closed the academic achievement gap with their peers nationally. These results are based on comparing the SAT scores of Class of 2009 students in the U.S. that have similar high school GPAs. In addition, the Scholars Program has eliminated the gap between Black SEO high school seniors and their White counterparts at every GPA level. Nationwide, Black students typically score 180-300 points less on the SAT than White students at all GPA levels. This difference is an example of an achievement gap that is regularly cited in the media.

>>View charts showing SEO Scholars’ achievement on the SATs.

After high school, the ongoing personal guidance that Scholars receive through the College Scholars Program is helping students make a sucessful transition to life on campus. Throughout their college years, SEO services help students sustain their academic performance, explore career fields with experienced professionals and participate in enriching internships.

The average cumulative GPA of SEO College Scholars participating in the program is 3.12 as of the fall 2010 semester.
For the high school Class of 2007, 89% of students report that they are graduating from college on time in 2011.
In 2010, SEO assisted college students in securing 87 summer internships with a variety of organizations, including AXA Advisors, Brown University, Discovery Communications, General Electric, HBO, Ketchum PR, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, Montefiore Medical Center, the NYC Department of Transportation, the New York Women’s Foundation, Sirius XM Radio, and the U.S. Department of State.

>> Listen to SEO Scholars share their program experiences and aspirations.

Young Leaders for Tomorrow, MLT shapes them today.

January 26, 2011 by Jeffrey Holmes

Management Leadership for Tomorrow

Management Leadership for Tomorrow seminar at Google by Jeffrey Holmes (Click on photo to view gallery)

Management Leadership for Tomorrow is a favorite non-profit for which I am their preferred photographer for events photography.

Here is a summary, from their web site, of the great things that MLT does for the world today and tomorrow:

MLT is the premier career development institution that equips high potential African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans with the key ingredients—skills, coaching and door-opening relationships—that unlock their potential. By cracking the code on career potential, MLT is developing the next generation of minority leaders, for the corporate, non-profit and entrepreneurial sectors, who will in turn have transformational impact on our communities.

MLT delivers programming that puts minorities on the fast-track to success at every stage of their careers: from College through MBA and the Executive levels.

MLT is a leading source of minority talent for top graduate business schools and for many of the nation’s premier corporations including Citi, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey & Co, PepsiCo and Target. MLT’s innovative solution has also resulted in strategic partnerships with leading philanthropies such as New Profit, Inc. and The Starr Foundation. MLT has been featured on the cover of Fortune and in CNN’s “Black in America 2: Tomorrow’s Leaders.”

The Problem

Corporate photographer Jeffrey Holmes captured these inspiring images as New York event photographer for MLT. Students participate in programs that prepare students for leadership in future positions. Corporate photographer Jeffrey Holmes captured these inspiring images as New York event photographer for MLT. Students participate in programs that prepare students for leadership in future positions.

There is a leadership pipeline crisis in the US.

Although comprising nearly 30% of the US population, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans comprise only 3% of senior leaders in corporations, non-profits and entrepreneurial ventures.

Despite having broader preparation, access and financial support for the best colleges and graduate schools, these minorities continue to fall out of the leadership pipeline at alarming rates. As a result:

Corporations, non-profits and entrepreneurial ventures struggle to attract and retain the best diverse talent they need to achieve their goals.
The individuals who are most connected to our struggling communities, and therefore most motivated to improve them, are not in a position to make those solutions possible.

Because conventional wisdom is that higher education ensures the American dream, we have not invested in giving those who make it to college the other ingredients they need to realize their full potential as leaders.

MLT is the Solution

Corporate photographer Jeffrey Holmes captured these inspiring images as New York event photographer for MLT. Students participate in programs that prepare students for leadership in future positions. Corporate photographer Jeffrey Holmes captured these inspiring images as New York event photographer for MLT. Students participate in programs that prepare students for leadership in future positions.

The path to leadership is not taught in school.

It takes more than classroom education to create leaders. It takes hard and soft skills. It takes early exposure to high-impact career opportunities. It takes an understanding of the path to the senior levels; and it takes inspiring leaders and mentors.

Many organizations focus on providing minorities with access to educational opportunities and preparation for academic success. MLT delivers key skills that are not taught in any classroom and that are critical to fulfilling one’s potential. Virtually every senior leader would say that they would not be where they are today without some or all of those key ingredients, yet these ingredients are not taught in even the best classrooms and instead are delivered through informal channels to which minorities have limited access:

A roadmap of specific steps to take to achieve one’s short and long-term goals
Coaching to develop the specific skills needed to distinguish oneself as a high performer
Mentorship to avoid career-limiting mistakes
Door-opening relationships that can lead to a “big break”
High-performing peers who provide motivation and support

MLT has formalized the delivery of these ingredients, filling a major gap in our education system and significantly broadening the pipeline of senior minority leaders who can catalyze change in our communities.

Marc Ecko, Kevin Powell, and Joel Human address At-risk Students in New York

November 23, 2009 by Jeffrey Holmes

Marc Ecko, Kevin Powell, and Joel Human talked to an audience of 200 at-risk students in New York on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in an effort to inspire them to persevere through the hardships of everyday life, earn their diploma and reach their goals.

MTV Get Schooled for At-risk Students in New York with Joel Human, Marc Ecko and Keven Powell.

Marc Ecko is an undeniable entrepreneurial success story. From fashion (ecko unltd., Zoo York and more) and publishing (Complex magazine) to gaming and multimedia (Marc Ecko Entertainment), he is an unrivaled navigator of pop culture. He is also incredibly socially conscious, supporting youth initiatives internationally and working to reverse the plight of the world’s rhino population.

It’s the foundation of Ecko’s Sweat Equity Enterprises, an education reform non-profit he founded to prepare students for the competitive challenges they’ll face in the 21st century global economy.

The gallery of New York event photographer Jeffrey Holmes includes images of the event. The presentation streamed live from Viacom’s global headquarters in New York’s times square, exclusively on www.GetSchooled.com