REACH Signing Day 2016

Jerome Suggs became the first REACH Scholar at Albany Middle School. Jerome was honored by the entire school and all the excitement was captured by the Albany Middle School Morning Show.

Recently, 353 Georgia students became REACH Georgia Scholars bringing total Scholar participants to over 680 in 69 participating school districts. Governor Deal launched REACH (Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen) in 2012 as a key initiative of Complete College Georgia. School systems partner with REACH and identify academically promising, low-income eighth-grade students to receive REACH Scholarships. These scholars are paired with a mentor and an academic coach through high school. Upon graduation from high school, scholars are awarded up to a $10,000 scholarship to be used at a Georgia HOPE-eligible two- or four-year college.

“The REACH program is a strategic investment in our students as well as our state, opening doors for youth in Georgia who may not otherwise be able to afford postsecondary education,” said Deal. “The Scholars who signed contracts today are among Georgia’s most promising students and this commitment will help them attend college and achieve their dreams.”

As part of the 2016 REACH Georgia Statewide Signing Day, REACH launched a pilot program in partnership with the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) to bring the social, academic and financial support of the REACH program to 30 foster youth students. “We are excited about this opportunity for our youth and what it means in helping them realize their highest educational achievement,” said DFCS Director, Bobby Cagle. “The supports offered will improve and assist their efforts, as most of these youth have had to overcome difficult and traumatic circumstances, but remained focused on their education.”

The Photo Gallery has images from REACH Signing Day events from around the state.

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Fulton County REACH Scholar
Fulton County REACH Scholar Abdul Mustafa (right) commits to becoming a REACH Scholar. An eighth-grader at Paul D. West Middle School, Abdul likes superheroes and says he wouldn’t mind having superpowers so he can help others. Someday he hopes to become a surgeon – a special kind of hero with medical powers. The REACH Scholarship will help him achieve his dream by funding many of his college expenses.