people mostly in the new york area, mostly black and latino students who come from struggling communities who are good students. it helps there s been so much change. number one the kids i got to interview are going to these great schools and they re doing very well. that s exciting. number two, i got involved in the program. and number three, they have a new leader. i am an oliver scholar in my own way. so i didn t have the benefit of this organization. but i went to an independent school here in new york city so i have a very similar trajectory with that of our alumni. immediately you saw the importance of a program, really, like oliver scholars. absolutely. i think it s a really special journey. so once a student is admitted to oliver scholars there s a
about oliver scholars, a program that helps kids from underserved new york schools succeed at top schools. in tonight s champions for change, john checks in on a grad that s now attending middlebury college. why did i choose oliver scholars again? when i looked around and thought about all the story that i had done, there was nothing that personified a champion of change more than this program. oliver scholars helps young people mostly in the new york area, mostly black and latino students who come from struggling communities who are good students. this program helps to bridge the wealth gap and even the race gap in the country. what ways can i imbed these elements into the story? there s been so much change in a year when it comes to oliver scholars. number one the kids i got to interview are going to these great schools and they re doing very well. that s exciting. number two, i got involved in the program. and number three, they have a new leader.
surprised at her maturity and how confident and comfortable she seemed in herself. because before she was like these wide eyes, oh my gosh, i m so excited, i m going to do this. and now she seems like, okay, this was tough, this was challenging, but i can do this. as my mentor used to tell me, you ll be all right. i hope so. i wanted to join the oliver scholars board and have some influence on scholars because of people like sue haiti, kids from underserved communities many times only need someone just to give them the chance and if they belong to a program like oliver scholars i think it opens up the world to them. i am grateful that our hard work is recognized and that other people beyond the oliver scholars staff see what we can do and what we can accomplish later on in life. all right. let s bring in d. lemon. also, we need to remind everybody, saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern for a champions for change special, saturday, 8:00 p.m., you get to see all the pieces, all at once
involved we stay with our students. we are the connective tissue that connects educational opportunity with professional opportunities. but i think our school partners understand their students and their school communities benefit from the diversity that oliver brings to their campuses. this has been a big year for you. haley is at middlebury finishing up her first year. she had a little bit of trouble but instead of isolating herself, she opened up her world. it was the culture shock that got me. it was a little hard at first, definitely some big adjustments to make, living by myself, being in rural vermont, versus new york city, making new friends. so you felt isolated? a little bit. then i got used to it, i started looking on campus more, started doing more activities.
which most students do, but instead of isolating herself, she opened up her world to help her with her problems. i was prepared for the most part, but it was definitely the culture shock that got me. it was a little hard at first, definitely some big adjustments to make, you know, living by myself, being in rural vermont versus new york city, making new friends. so you felt isolated? a little bit. then i got used to it, i started looking on campus more, started doing more activities. joined softball team, having a lot of activities to do on campus made me feel better and more connected to middlebury college. do you think you d be in college at all if it were not for oliver scholars? i think i would be at college i just wouldn t have put the schools that i did on my list because i wouldn t have thought that they were in my reach. i would have definitely set the bar lower if i didn t have oliver. when i saw her again i was