CNF expands college prep offerings

Native students preparing for national entrance exams just got a hand up with expanded college prep workshops offered by Cherokee Nation Foundation.

Throughout the years, CNF has focused its efforts on helping students prepare for the National ACT exam but recently expanded its offerings to include both SAT and GRE prep courses. Now the foundation is reaching even more students by offering its first Preliminary SAT workshop on Oct. 11.

“We say this all the time, and we‚ll keep sending out the message: These tests matter. And the more we can do to best prepare our students, the better off they‚ll be. We know what works and what doesn‚t, and we‚ve partnered with the best in the business in an effort to encourage students, remove barriers and offer the resources they need to succeed. All they have to do is show up and put in the work.”

According to The Princeton Review, more than 3.4 million high school students take the nationwide, multiplechoice test every year, but it‚s more than just practice. Scores from the PSAT are also used to identify National Merit Scholars and award scholarships.

“The PSAT is its own ballgame and has a lot of value to offer our students,” said Randall. “Strong performers on this test can take home top dollars that will help them achieve their academic goals. The National Merit Scholarship program awards more than $180 million each year, and we‚d like to see Native students benefit more from those funds.”

The nearly three-hour-long test evaluates students in reading, writing and math.

The first PSAT workshop is Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and is hosted in partnership with Testing With Success.

Testing With Success provides customized testing preparation, featuring copyrighted strategies and specialized testing handbooks that deliver significant results. They also facilitate CNF‚s ACT prep workshops.

Students who participated in previous ACT workshops and took the national exam saw an average increase of four points, with some students increasing by as many as nine points, and a select few students achieving a near perfect score.

The next ACT Prep workshop is Saturday, Oct. 8, from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Both the PSAT and ACT workshops are virtual and offered at no cost to Native students in grades 9-12, with preference given to Cherokee Nation citizens. Register today at www.cherokeenationfoundation. org.