#OVERCOMINGCOVID19

Despite the current COVID-19 health crisis, Dorson Scholars remain committed to their college and career goals, and our organization is steadfast in continuing to support their dreams.

What Is Dorson Doing Now? On March 11, we swiftly moved our programming to an online platform. Twice a week, every other week, our cohort of 20 ninth grade Scholars convene on Zoom for our College Readiness and Career Development courses. In recent weeks, we’ve conducted a three-part Essay Writing Series, a two-part Resume Writing Series, a virtual tour of Columbia University, and hosted an alumni panel featuring Dorson alums studying at universities around the country, including NYU, Lehigh, and Georgetown.

What Do Our Scholars Need? The move to online learning has been challenging for schools in the inner-city and this adjustment has taken a toll on our students, many of whom face issues with Internet connectivity which ultimately affects their learning capabilities. With so much change and uncertainty being sprung on our Scholars, we are working to build a safe, supportive online community and provide a space for our Scholars to connect in positive ways. To support their social-emotional needs, we are hosting small group check-in meetings every other week. Additionally, we’re providing bi-weekly virtual social activities, including trivia nights, movie discussions, and a coding bootcamp, to inject a bit of fun into their lives.

How You Can Help? COVID-19 has led to the indefinite postponement of Dorson’s largest annual fundraising gala. So right now, we urgently seek your support! A donation to Dorson will help us keep our doors open by covering our operational costs, as well as pay our instructors and purchase more robust tools and software to enhance our new virtual learning environment.