WELLINGTON, Fla. — A Palm Beach County program is breaking down barriers to higher education, while being a mentor for young adults when they need it.
“Whether it is completing a four-year traditional college degree, whether it’s going to a technical trade, whether it’s going to the military, we want these students to become productive, active members of the community,” S.W.A.G. Program Founder Paulette Edwards said.
Through weekly meetings, Edwards works to empower and motivate at-risk and under-served high school students in Wellington. She does this through mentoring and networking. Edwards said she wants to help fill a void for young, black students.
“We know that nationwide, race and lack of diversity in some communities is still an issue,” Edwards said. “We also understand that minority students as a whole still start at a disadvantage from other students in the community, so this program levels that playing field for them.”
Christine Estime is a member of Wellington’s S.W.A.G. program, which stands for students working to achieve greatness.
“Coming into S.W.A.G. it was like, everyone looks like you. And I was like this is different,” Estime said. “It feels like a breath of fresh air. I don’t have to explain to you my struggle.”
Filled with “swag,” students like Estime are using this program to reach their full potential and shift a paradigm.
“Being in it, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to where I am without them," she said. "Just all of them being able to talk to us and give us advice from their point of view, being Black women in America and we’re going to be those people that take their spots. It feels great.”