In its fifth year, American Graduate Day returned Saturday, Sept. 17 to explore and celebrate the power of mentorship. American Graduate Day culminated a special week of education-themed programming on PBS, that began Sept. 12. This coordinated annual national broadcast event brings together public broadcasting stations and nonprofits from across the nation that are committed to reducing the high school dropout rate and supporting students on the path to postsecondary education success.
For the second year, iMentor was one of more than 25 organizations invited to be an American Graduate Day partner because of our commitment to improving graduation rates for high school and first-generation college students. The Ad Council, Big Brothers Big Sisters, My Brother's Keeper Alliance, The Sparkle Effect, and Sesame Street® are among the host of organizations who also partnered with American Graduate.
iMentor's pair story video "The Road to College: Kevin & Bart" aired during this year's national broadcast event. The entire broadcast presented half-hour long segments spotlighting early education, more and better learning, special needs communities, STEAM, dropout prevention and re-engagement, and college and career readiness.
When Kevin told his mentor, Bart, that he was going to take a bus from New York to Philadelphia to move into his college dorm, Bart had other ideas. After working with Kevin for two years to make sure he got into his dream school, the University of Pennsylvania, Bart wanted Kevin to have a memorable move-in experience that he could share with his whole family.
American Graduate Day showcased Kevin's journey to realize his college dream with the support of his family, and his mentor. The broadcast streamed live from Tisch WNET Studios in NYC from 2pm-6pm ET and on public television stations across the nation (check your local listings).
See what was discussed on Facebook and Twitter by searching #AmGrad #iMentor and then head online to become a mentor today, because every student deserves a champion!