In 2020, Mindy Mozena, director for Enrollment Services at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Downtown, was looking at enrollment rates from high schools within an 8-mile radius of the campus. She was shocked at what she found. The total number of Jones High School graduates who enrolled at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ over the past five years was just 2.8%. Of those who enrolled, only 1.2% were admitted as first-year students directly into the university.

β€œWith the creation of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Downtown campus, there is a great opportunity to provide access to post-secondary education without the need for local students to travel far from home,” Mozena says. β€œAfter looking at the research, I knew that more intentional connections and outreach were important to increase student’s awareness about ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and what we have to offer.”

Opened in Fall 2019, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Downtown is located in the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando. The campus is home to a variety of degree programs, including those focused on civic engagement and government, safety and justice, community well-being, content creation, communication, and digital arts and entertainment. It also shares the campus with Valencia College, building on the Μύ±θ°ω΄Η²΅°ω²Ή³Ύ.

All of these attributes make ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Downtown the perfect place to recruit local high school seniors. Philanthropic partners agree. In 2017, the Helios Education Foundation granted ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ with funds to develop the (PEID) initiative, a plan to strengthen the educational ecosystem in Parramore.. The ultimate goal was to connect resources and grow support that would allow every Parramore resident to achieve a post-secondary credential. Over the next six years, the plan attracted additional donors from the Kresge Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the City of Orlando to achieve that mission.

Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s College of Community Innovation and Education DeShawn Chapman ’11MEd ’16EdD, who is the former education programs manager for PEID, worked directly with Parramore families, acting as a bridge between them and the resources within and outside the community.

β€œThe relationships that DeShawn and the PEID team were able to build with the local community were crucial to our success,” Mozena says. β€œShe and her team had the trust, established the connections and allowed us to build on those existing relationships.”

Today, with more than $3.44 million in new collective funding, Mozena is blazing the path forward. In the last year alone, her team has held more than three dozen events designed to provide program information and foster connections within the community. Together with partners at Valencia College, they are invested and engaged with the local students and their families, and attracting new donors β€” like the Florida Blue FoundationΒ β€” to support their efforts.

The community engagement activities range greatly, from costume parades to on-campus classroom experiences, spirit days at the high schools to federal financial aid or FAFSA workshops and, in some cases, one-on-one coaching to guide students through the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ enrollment process. Each touchpoint is intentionally designed to educate students about the benefits of college, get them to apply β€” particularly to the one in their backyard β€” and provide resources for them to graduate college successfully.

One particularly impactful program created is the Downtown Scholars Initiative (DSI). The first part of the program provides students interested in attending ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ with support services to assist in application processes and connections to the campus community; and the second part is a Summer Bridge Program where accepted ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ students receive a downtown residential experience, free tuition and books, peer mentoring, and service learning opportunities during their first summer term entering freshman year.

β€œThe feedback from students, faculty and staff alike at our partner schools has been overwhelmingly positive,” Mozena says. β€œEmphasizing the importance of lifelong learning should start with the youngest students through early exposure opportunities. Our activities give them early college experiences, allowing them to begin to identify potential educational pathways for their future.”

It hasn’t taken long for the community to take hold of the opportunity. In the first year of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ DSI alone, there was a 67% increase in Jones High School students accepted to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, a 100% increase in those who enrolled, and a 19% increase in completed applications from the high school. In year two, the DSI program participation skyrocketed with a more than 300% increase in applicants and 29% increase in applications to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. Those accepted and enrolled to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ also continued to soar at 67% and 100% increases, respectively. Beginning Spring 2023, DSI has expanded to include both Jones and Evans high schools, with future plans to also include Oak Ridge.

β€œFour years ago, students didn’t consider ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ as an option for college,” says Tanika Bango Cooper, community partnership director, Jones High School/Children’s Home Society. β€œHowever, now more and more students see ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ as an option and want to attend. Our intentional efforts to increase engagement among students, faculty and staff have worked and we see ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ teacher alums are more engaged, too. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ signs are all over campus. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has a presence on Jones’ campus.”