PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The non-profit organization Path to College celebrated a symbolic groundbreaking on Tuesday for a new center that will help thousands more Palm Beach County students on their journey after high school.
Nestled on Lake Avenue in Lake Worth Beach is what will become the future Path to College Catapult Youth Mentoring Center.
Christine Sylvain is the founder and executive director of Path to College and has dreamed of this moment.
"It’s an unbelievable moment for us. It’s going to allow us to expand our services," she said. "It’s going to allow us to uplift this community, it’s very exciting."
The Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency renovated the once dilapidated building, now gifting it to Path to College.
"It’s their ribbon cutting but our groundbreaking," Sylvain said. "We have a lot of work to do."
While the walls are bare and the second floor isn't finished, the center will become a resource the community hasn't seen.
"To be here for any student to come in and take a career aptitude test, sit with someone who talks through the different pathways to career programs and gives you a plan," Sylvain said. "We have visions of having doors open every day after school for any student to get that mentoring and guidance they need but also we plan to run our regular programming for our flagship model here."
Sylvain added 100% of the students in their flagship fellowship program get accepted to 4-year colleges and universities.
Lake Worth High School senior Jeilyn Sevilla Nunez is a fellow in the Path to College program. She will become the first in her family to go to college, thanks to the support and guidance from Path to College.
"I applied to eight schools across the United States. I got accepted into all of the schools, but I ultimately decided to go to FAU with a full ride," she said.
When she first got to high school, Nunez said she didn't know if she would even go to college.
"There are so many opportunities that we wouldn’t have if it weren’t for Path to College here supporting us," she said.
She received SAT/ACT test prep, had an internship, got to participate in college tours, learned about different career paths among other things. She's excited for the new center and the future of Path to College.
"It was so cool to know now we have a space to let all our creativity go and see where our future is going to start from," she said.
Located within walking distance from Lake Worth High School, where they serve a large number of students and a Tri-Rail station, Sylvain said the center is in a perfect location.
"We’ll be able to reach many more students who can get here on their own regard, because of course transportation is difficult and for the students we serve in low-income communities, the parents are often working multiple jobs," she said. "This proximity is going to make a world of difference so it’s like the perfect circumstances lined up for us."
Path to College still needs more than $2 million to bring the center to fruition. They hope to make that happen within a year.
To learn more about the organization visit https://www.pathtocollege.org/.