PHOENIX — A new volunteer organization at Arizona State University provides students with the opportunity to reduce education disparity in Tempe by mentoring local high school students.

SummitScholars was created after a conversation between Saaj Chowdhury, president of SummitScholars, and her friends about the large number of students they knew who were dropping out of college. But rather than looking to solve the problem at the university itself, Chowdhury and the other founders looked broader.

“What if students got the support from high school itself?” Chowdhury asked.

The club aims to prepare high school students for the reality of college. Volunteers explain to their mentees what to expect in a university setting and teach them how to access the many resources provided to students. Chowdhury said students in high school who tour college campuses hear all about the excitement of being a student, but don’t get the full picture.

“Just getting a visual tour and just knowing about that is not the same as what you're going to experience in a classroom,” Chowdhury said.

A key component of the club that sets it apart from other college preparation programs is the emphasis on what Chowdhury and Dr. Bailey Borman, a SummitScholars adviser, call a “near-peer” model.

SummitScholars volunteers are close in age to the students they mentor, allowing them to provide advice that is more relevant to what attending college currently looks like.

“I think when you are working with someone that is in a similar season of their life it's easier to see what’s possible,” Borman said.

SummitScholars also has a partnership with College Connect Tempe, allowing them to reach more students.

College Connect is a college access center that was founded in 2012. All of its services, including tutoring, one-on-one advising and workshops about post-secondary opportunities, are free.

While the program is run by the City of Tempe, the services are available to learners across the country. Additionally, they are not restricted to high school students or those who want to attend a traditional college.

Adrian Cascio is the education and career empowerment supervisor for the Tempe Community Health and Human Services Department. He explained that College Connect is meant to support learners as they explore what opportunities are available to them post-high school.

“Our goal is that students and parents can make an informed decision about what their options are,” Cascio said.

College Connect also partners with the Tempe Union High School District and provides an adviser for every school in the district.

Cascio added that the College Connect advisers have had a significant impact on the students and schools they serve. With the support of these advisers, there’s been an increase in completion of the FAFSA by TUHSD students. Cascio called this a “significant indicator” of increased college enrollment.

The support of these advisers reduces the strain on school counselors who support high school students in a multitude of ways, not just in regards to post-secondary opportunities.

The American School Counselor Association recommends that the student-to-counselor ratio in a state is 250-to-1.

Arizona has a student-to-counselor ratio of 645-to-1, the highest in the nation.

Because of these large case loads, Arizona school counselors don’t have the capacity to meet every student’s needs during their post-secondary exploration. That is where College Connect Tempe and SummitScholars come in.

Student to counselor ratio isn’t the only area of public education Arizona struggles in.
A study by the Save Our Schools Arizona Network found that Arizona spends, on average, $5,900 less per student than the national median. Instead, public schools rely on funding from community wealth in the form of bonds and property taxes.

This means schools in low-income areas— which often serve students of color — have very little funding. The SOS Arizona Network study found that Arizona spends $7,613 less per learner in districts that primarily serve students of color. This is not only the worst in the country but also nearly double the next worst state.

While organizations like College Connect and SummitScholars can’t solve this problem, they can limit the impact it has on students. Dr. Carrie Sampson, an ASU associate professor, said community organizations are “critical” for students who don’t have the access or support they need to be successful.

Sampson outlined four key things these organizations can do: collect data to lobby for more funding, run services that schools can’t fund, teach students the basic skills required to be successful in college and expose students to career opportunities.

“Being able to connect students to these various professions that are out there I think can be really eye opening and critical in a student’s trajectory,” Sampson said.

SummitScholars volunteers will begin working with students in Fall 2026. Until then, students and families seeking college and career support can check out College Connect Tempe’s resources.