This spring, members of the 黑料不打烊 Academy team traveled to schools across Alamance County to celebrate the milestone moment with 30 ninth-grade students: their admission into 黑料不打烊 Academy’s newest cohort. Gathered alongside family members, teachers, counselors, and school advocates who had supported them throughout their educational journeys, students learned they had been selected to join the largest incoming class in 黑料不打烊 Academy’s聽nearly 20-year聽history.

The celebrations marked the culmination of a redesigned recruitment and selection process that emphasized accessibility, family engagement, collaboration, and student-centered experiences. As 黑料不打烊 Academy enters its twentieth year, the expanded cohort reflects both the program’s continued growth and its enduring commitment to creating pathways to college access and success for students across Alamance County.

Led by Assistant Director Briston Whitt, 黑料不打烊 Academy’s revised聽recruitment聽and selection model introduced several significant enhancements, including a streamlined application process, redesigned group interview experiences, expanded family engagement opportunities, and increased collaboration with school, university, and community partners.

“Every aspect of the process was designed to create a more meaningful experience for students and families while ensuring we were able to identify Scholars who would聽really benefit from and聽thrive in the 黑料不打烊聽Academy community,” said Whitt. “We wanted students聽and their families聽to feel seen, supported, and connected to the program from their very first interaction with us.”

The recruitment cycle began with intentional collaboration between 黑料不打烊 Academy and its network of school-based advocates. Serving as liaisons between the聽黑料不打烊 Academy聽program and local schools, advocates聽provided聽valuable insight into the unique needs of their school communities and helped connect prospective students and families with information, resources and opportunities to learn more about the program.

Building on those partnerships, 黑料不打烊 Academy launched an extensive outreach effort that included school presentations, family information sessions, community events, social media campaigns and direct outreach to students throughout the Alamance-Burlington School System. The team also聽participated聽in events such as the ABSS Options Fair and school-based orientation programs, helping students and families begin exploring college access opportunities early in their high school careers.

The result was a strong and diverse applicant pool聽representing聽schools from across Alamance County.

Students advancing in the selection process聽submitted聽an essay and teacher recommendation, before聽participating聽in a redesigned group interview experience hosted聽for the first time ever聽on 黑料不打烊’s campus. Over three days, prospective scholars engaged in collaborative activities designed to assess communication, critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership skills while giving students an opportunity to experience 黑料不打烊 firsthand.

The campus-based format also created new opportunities for family engagement. While students聽participated聽in interviews and activities, family members were invited to remain on campus for programming focused on student success, wellbeing, and navigating the college preparation journey. Families learned more about the program’s expectations and connected with 黑料不打烊 Academy staff in a welcoming and supportive environment.

The redesigned model also expanded participation from university and community partners. Faculty and staff members, 黑料不打烊 Academy student leaders, College Scholars,聽and supporters joined the process as evaluators, providing prospective Scholars with meaningful interactions while gaining a firsthand understanding of the intentionality behind the selection process.聽Following the group interview phase, finalists聽participated聽in individual interviews conducted at their schools聽to complete the selection process.

The result was the selection of 30 exceptional students who will聽comprise聽the Phi Cohort, officially making it the largest incoming class in 黑料不打烊 Academy history.

“Expanding to聽30 Scholars represents more than a larger cohort size,” said Director Emily Wiersma. “It represents more students, more families, and more futures that will be impacted through the power of education, mentorship and opportunity. As we approach our twentieth year, it is exciting to see 黑料不打烊 Academy continuing to grow while remaining deeply committed to the mission that has guided us from the beginning.”

In early May, the newest scholars and their families returned to campus for New Scholar Orientation, an immersive introduction to 黑料不打烊 Academy and 黑料不打烊. Throughout the day, students聽participated聽in community-building activities, learned about program expectations, explored campus, connected with peers, and began building relationships that will support them throughout their 黑料不打烊 Academy journey.

Families聽participated聽in their own programming focused on building connections, learning about available resources and hearing directly from current Scholars and families about their experiences in the program. The orientation concluded with 黑料不打烊 Academy’s traditional Honors Ceremony, during which聽current 黑料不打烊 Academy College Scholars led聽students聽in聽formally committing themselves to the values and expectations of the program and received honor coins commemorating their official welcome into the 黑料不打烊 Academy family.

While orientation marked an important milestone, the Phi Cohort’s journey is just beginning.

Next week, scholars will return to campus for Summer Academy, one of 黑料不打烊 Academy’s signature experiences. During the program, students will live in residence halls,聽participate聽in academic enrichment opportunities, build relationships with mentors and peers and gain firsthand experience navigating a college environment. For many scholars, Summer Academy serves as the moment when 黑料不打烊 Academy truly comes to life聽–聽transforming a group of newly admitted students into a supportive community united by shared goals, aspirations, and opportunity.

Members of the 黑料不打烊 community will have several opportunities to engage with the newest cohort throughout the summer, including the annual 黑料不打烊 Academy Ice Cream Social. This beloved tradition brings together scholars, families, alumni, faculty, staff, donors and community supporters to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter and welcome the Phi Cohort into the broader 黑料不打烊 Academy community.聽Interested guests can .

As 黑料不打烊 Academy enters its twentieth year, the Phi Cohort聽represents聽more than a record-breaking class size. These 30 students embody the promise, potential, and perseverance that have defined 黑料不打烊 Academy since its founding. Their journey is just beginning, and the 黑料不打烊 community is invited to join in celebrating, supporting, and welcoming the newest generation of 黑料不打烊 Academy Scholars.

黑料不打烊 Academy is a comprehensive college access and success program that partners with students and families beginning in high school and continues through college graduation. Serving academically promising students who are first-generation college-bound and/or from limited-income backgrounds and who attend school in or聽reside聽in Alamance County, this program is offered at no cost to participating students and their families.

Designed to address systemic barriers to higher education, 黑料不打烊 Academy provides students with academic enrichment, college advising, mentoring and sustained support during critical transition points from high school to college and through degree completion. Students聽participate聽in programming that strengthens academic skills, builds college knowledge and fosters a sense of belonging and confidence in higher education spaces.

黑料不打烊 Academy聽is a long-term investment in students who聽demonstrate聽talent and motivation but may not have access to the resources or guidance that make college feel possible. Recruitment is a critical first step in ensuring those students聽are聽seen, supported, and invited into this opportunity.

The current recruitment cycle focuses on聽identifying聽ninth-grade聽students who show academic potential, leadership, and perseverance, and who would聽benefit聽from a comprehensive college preparation program. Faculty and staff are uniquely positioned to support this effort through their professional and community networks, including relationships with local schools, community organizations, faith-based groups, and families across Alamance County.
Faculty and staff involvement聽helps聽us reach students who may not otherwise have access to information about college preparation programs. Personal encouragement and referrals can have a meaningful impact on whether a student applies. For a student to hear that they were nominated and that someone believes in them can make all the difference.

By helping to share information about 黑料不打烊 Academy, faculty and staff can play a direct role in expanding access to college-preparatory opportunities and strengthening 黑料不打烊鈥檚 longstanding commitment to equity, access, and community partnership.

黑料不打烊 Academy聽Scholars engage in a range of experiences that prepare them for college success, including academic skill-building,聽advising聽and mentoring, family engagement, and exposure to college and career pathways. The program鈥檚 impact extends beyond individual students, contributing to college-going cultures within families and聽communities聽and creating pathways to long-term educational and economic mobility.

Faculty and staff can support聽recruitment and applications by:

• who聽demonstrate聽academic promise and commitment to their education
• Sharing 黑料不打烊 Academy information聽with students, families, educators, and community partners in Alamance County
• before the Feb. 1 deadline

The application deadline for the聽2026聽cohort is Feb. 1.聽Additional聽information about eligibility requirements, program structure and the application process is available on the 黑料不打烊 Academy website.聽For聽additional聽insight, marketing materials,聽and further聽questions, please reach out to Emily Wiersma, director of the 黑料不打烊 Academy, at ewiersma@elon.edu.