C.O.R.E. For Advancement

C.O.R.E. (Community of Racial Equity) for Advancement is a year-long college pathway program for high-achieving high school students from Des Moines area high schools. By uniting strong leaders in collaboration, CORE challenges inequities in education, provides a community for BIPoC students and allies to discuss issues within their schools and cities, and creates action steps to make long-lasting change.

Scholars from each high school C.O.R.E group are invited to come on to Drake's Campus monthly for various workshops. These workshops are fun and informal, guided by students’ interests, such as college essay writing, scholarship seeking, help with FAFSA, and more. The program prepares students to continue the amazing community they've built in their home C.O.R.E groups through their college transition. The objective of the program is to support students throughout this transition, as well as address institutional barriers and share strategies to navigate these barriers. 

All students who participate in C.O.R.E. for two or more years and maintain a high school GPA of 3.0 will automatically receive a minimum of $21,000 through the Presidental Scholarship, should they choose to apply to Drake for Fall 2022.

If you are interested in becoming a C.O.R.E. Scholar, you can find the application here.