PHOENIX — A few years ago, Javier Garcia never imagined he would be an Arizona State University Sun Devil.
“I didn’t really think college was for me,” said Garcia.
Garcia said he moved around a lot and as a result, struggled with school. But he imagined his future in a different way once he received an "acceptance letter" from ASU when he was a freshman at Central High School.
As part of its mission to widen access to higher education, ASU sent out "acceptance letters" to more than 1,400 high school students in Phoenix at the beginning of the school year -– before they even applied to the university – to keep them on track to go to college.
The joint program between the Phoenix Union High School District and ASU started in 2018 to increase college-going in the district.
More than half of the students who received the letters have applied to ASU and have been officially accepted, according to Matthew Lopez, associate vice president of academic enterprise enrollment at ASU and executive director of admission services.
The university said about half of the Phoenix Union seniors received letters telling them that they had the 3.0-grade point average and 14 courses required to meet admission requirements to ASU. The other half received letters telling them that they were close to hitting the requirements, with a 2.8 to 2.99-GPA and within two courses, and what they needed to do to get in.
Participating juniors and sophomores also received a letter noting how many required courses they had completed and how many were needed by senior year, according to ASU.
Garcia, now a senior at Central High, knows he will be attending ASU this fall. He has maintained his acceptance status since his freshman year.
He surpassed the minimum requirements by becoming an “A” student for the first time.
“I’m very proud of myself,” said Garcia. “I didn't know what I was capable of. But when I received that letter, it let me know, to challenge yourself,” said Garcia.
It’s the exact outcome ASU hoped for. “We didn't want to design something that had a maybe to it. It was 'you're in,'” said Lopez.
The university said it hopes to expand the program to other districts.
“We believe we have something here, this is a program that we think has had some positive outcomes,” said Lopez.
“If it didn't exist, I wouldn't have thought about college in the first place. But I really say thank you to them for making me a part of it and you know, giving me the motivation I needed,” said Garcia.
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