State Honoree

Annie Farrell, 18, of Miami, Fla., a member of the Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida and a senior at Coral Gables Senior High School, organized three college-prep workshops to help about a dozen students who had aged out of foster care navigate the complicated and often overwhelming college application process. “As the daughter of a first-generation college student, I’m aware not everybody lives with the expectation that college is the next step,” said Annie. Since she was about to begin applying to colleges, she thought she could help some at-risk teens by taking them through the process with her.

First, Annie researched the application process and collected tips for success. Then she recruited two University of Miami admissions counselors, three Miami Herald writers, and the education director of a local cultural center to help her conduct three workshops for residents of Casa Valentina, a nonprofit that houses and assists young people who are too old to remain in foster care. At the first workshop, the college counselors explained how to complete a college application and the residents were provided with the tips and information that Annie had compiled. At the next two sessions, the newspaper writers addressed how to brainstorm topics for application essays, and helped each student craft an essay. Annie also created a “college cubby” at Casa Valentina stocked with college guides, binders and test preparation books, and gave each student a college sweatshirt to symbolize the path they had embarked upon.