History Collegiate Candidates (CC) began in Athens, Georgia and was founded by Kenyae L. Reese (pronounced Keen-yae). In 1996, during her senior year in high school in South Bend, IN, Reese noticed that most of her peers in the Honors courses had plans to attend college, but most of her peers of color who took regular classes (and who were often from lower socioeconomic backgrounds) did not have academic plans beyond high school. The significance in the gap between who enrolled in college and who did not remained an impetus of concern and research for Kenyae even throughout her own undergraduate career.
In 2000, while earning a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Hampton University, Reese, with the help of her classmates, conceptualized a college access program called the Black College Club. This organization is the forerunner to Collegiate Candidates. Over the next few years, after researching and spending time in the educational realm at the University of Georgia, Reese changed the name of the Black College Club (BCC) to the Multicultural College Club (MCC) as a measure of sensitivity to the needs of Hispanic/Latino and European American students. In 2004, Kenyae Reese pitched the idea of the Multicultural College Club to the School Counselors at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia. The counselors adapted and implemented the Multicultural College Club during the 2004-2005 school year. Shortly thereafter, the name of the program officially became Collegiate Candidates, a name the program still holds today.
Collegiate Candidates Today Collegiate Candidates (CC) is a registered non-profit organization with the State of Georgia. CC has a proven track record of increasing college application rates. In the first year of implementation, 71% of student participants indicated that they were attending a post-secondary institution versus 20% of their non-participant peers. Students also expressed that they received more exposure to higher education and became more aware of the college admissions process. Subsequent years also lend favorable outcomes.
Collegiate Candidates has served more than 100 underrepresented students in Athens, GA. The organization is proud to be a part of the solution for educating and enhancing the lives of Georgia’s underserved youth through continuous exposure and matriculation into higher education.
Chapters A chapter of Collegiate Candidates currently resides at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA and supports students at Clarke Central High School in Athens, GA.
with the help of her classmates, conceptualized a college access program called the Black College Club. This organization is the forerunner to Collegiate Candidates. Over the next few years, after researching and spending time in the educational realm at the University of Georgia, Reese changed the name of the Black College Club (BCC) to the Multicultural College Club (MCC) as a measure of sensitivity to the needs of Hispanic/Latino and European American students. In 2004, Kenyae Reese pitched the idea of the Multicultural College Club to the School Counselors at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia. The counselors adapted and implemented the Multicultural College Club during the 2004-2005 school year. Shortly thereafter, the name of the program officially became Collegiate Candidates, a name the program still holds today.