Mychal Wynn, the program’s co-founder, explaining the type of 4-year high school schedule that opens pathways into top colleges and full scholarships
Nationwide — Educator, author, and college planning activist, Mychal Wynn, founded the Georgia-based Foundation for Ensuring Access and Equity College Planning Cohort program in 2006 to expand college, career, and scholarship opportunities for students from under-resourced backgrounds and marginalized communities.
Wynn recounts, “In 2006, when my wife and I were appointed as Education Ministry Leaders of the Turner Chapel AME Church in Marietta, Georgia, our mission was to implement a research-responsive program to increase K-12 student achievement and expand the postsecondary pathways for Black students, who, by every statistical measure, were the lowest performing students in K-12 schools and the least likely to attend college, and when they did, were the most likely to use student loans to pay for college. For years, we had been providing training for teachers and school counselors, who, for a variety of reasons, were failing to implement the strategies outlined in our training and published in our books.”
Recognized by the AME Church as Transformational Leaders, Wynn and his wife, Nina, achieved such extraordinary success in their church, they received national media coverage in 2012 and formed partnerships with Guilford County Schools in North Carolina, Florence School District 3 in South Carolina, and Pinellas County Schools in Florida to work hands-on with students. When each of these school districts began funding the Wynns’ College Cohort Program, were they prepared for the success? Rather than simply getting more students of color into college, the Wynns’ program was guiding students into full scholarships at such top PWIs as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Caltech, Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin, Swarthmore, Vassar, Northeastern, University of Richmond, University of Chicago, and Georgia Tech. Their students received full scholarships to such HBCUs as Spelman, Tuskegee, Xavier University of Louisiana, FAMU, NC A&T, and NC Central. Their students became the first students in many high schools to be offered full scholarships to such schools. It appeared that not only were they exceeding expectations, but they were also too successful!
In part due to the Trump Administration’s cut in federal funding, and the uncomfortable position of Title I Directors and school administrators forced to explain how an outside program could achieve such historic success with student populations whom they believe incapable of reaching beyond community college or state universities. While traditional schools were introducing students to conversations about college and scholarships as high school juniors and seniors, the Wynns were not only introducing students to such conversations as rising 6th graders, but engaging students in deliberate planning through a college planning system of books, online curricula, monthly virtual meetings in which students with similar aspirations from diverse backgrounds and communities engage in conversations about their plans and share their goals, and providing 1-on-1 guidance through the final phase of applying to college and for scholarships.
Without funding from school districts, the $899.95 annual fee to participate in the program is unaffordable for the students most in need. The Wynns are assisting students in reaching out to relatives, local businesses, mentoring programs, and even schools of higher education to sponsor their registration in the program. Unlike programs that are only focused on students who are top-performing high school juniors and seniors, Wynn notes, “The only criteria to join our program is that a student demonstrates grit, a growth mindset, and a willingness to do the work. A student must be invested in their own success. For example, Black students take calculus in high school at a rate of just 6 percent. In some school districts, a student cannot reach calculus by 12th grade without taking algebra 1 in middle school. So why wait until 11th grade to begin the conversation about college? Additionally, most selective colleges—the ones that offer to meet each admitted student’s full financial need—require that students take calculus, if available in their school or school district. While we can guide a student in developing a 7-year middle-through-high school plan, including their 4-year high school schedule, the student must have the willingness to follow the plan and do the work.”
Sponsors can pay for the registration of a student of their choosing, or the program can recommend students in need of sponsorship. Each sponsored student agrees to share their college planning journey with their sponsor as appreciation of their sponsor’s investment in their future. Currently, the program is only accepting high school students. As sponsorship expands, the program will accept students as early as the 6th grade for guidance in developing 7-year middle school-through-high school college-bound plans.
Josiah Walker, a Black male student who will be a 2025 graduate of Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport, Florida, was offered full scholarships to Boston University, Macalester College, Washington & Lee University, and Williams College. Walker, who joined the program while attending Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in St. Petersburg, Florida, noted that as a high school senior, “My dad and I were evicted from our apartment in the midst of applying to colleges and writing essays. As a result, I could not provide all of the required documents for Northeastern University, the first school to which I was offered admission, so I never received a financial aid award letter. I honestly could not have made it through this process without the support of Mr. and Mrs. Wynn. Not only did they support me every step of the way, but their son, Mychal-David, reviewed and edited all of my essays, as well as guided my communication with admissions and financial aid officers at each of my schools. When I had a problem with some of my parents’ documents, they even reached out to Williams College on my behalf to ensure that I received my financial aid award letter. While I am overjoyed to be heading off to Williams College on a full scholarship, including an all-expenses-paid summer program, I am saddened for other students in our school district who will no longer have the support of the Wynns since our district stopped funding the program.”
The 2025-26 College Cohort Program kicks off on June 1, 2025, and runs through May 1, 2026 (college enrollment decision day). Interested students or sponsors may register online at: www.accessandequity.org/product/2025-26-cohort-registration/
For press inquiries, contact (678) 295-5825 or info@accessandequity.org