Roshini Saravanakumar

Creating Project United Way to Decrease

High School Drop-Out Rates
Lindsey White, MBA
Assistant Executive Director (Public/ Community Relations)
United Way Galveston County Mainland
Mrs. Click
ISM Fall 2014
*some information in this presentation came from outside sources

ISM
Complete an in-depth mentorship in an approved area of
interest with an approved mentor

Spend 2-3 hours per week with mentor on mentorship

activities

Complete a weekly journal about mentorship experiences

Complete all required in-class and out of class assignments
Complete a Mid-Term Presentation
Create a tangible product and presentation at the collegiate
level and present to a panel of graders at the end of the
semester

Attend the ISM Presentation Fair on Saturday, Dec. 13

Roshini Saravanakumar and

Lindsey White
Background on Ms. White:

- Assistant Executive Director at UWGCM

- Bachelor of Science in Marketing
- Master of Business Administration
- UHCL graduate
- Experience in web and print media as well
as website integration and social media

Roshini Saravanakumar and Lindsey in the front room of the

UWGCM building
Photo By: Leslie Ornelas

Interviews
Ms. Lindsey

Necessity of adaptability

Knowledge of digital age

Duties exceed just the UWGCM job
Pay when working for a non-profit is less
than working for a corporate company
Taken at a United Way Youth Board Meeting
Photo by: Youth Board Member

Interviews (contd.)
Mr. Shute- Emericon

Bachelors in Engineering and a Masters in Business

Very specialized field- strong job security
Proof of concepts- prove how it will help customers before they hire
Mr. Seethapathy- Accenture

MBA
Growth potential achieved by spreading to different fields

Achieve success by establishing a niche in the market

Consulting job- traveling to different companies

http://www.emericon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/EmeriCon-Logo-New-Tagline-Flat.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Accenture.svg/1000px-Accenture.svg.png

United Way Galveston

County Mainland
Collects funds from local businesses

Allocates funds to non-profits in Texas City

based on competitive applications

31 certified member organizations

Bring volunteer opportunities to the public, run
various service programs

Established in the local community

Outside of the UWGCM building

Photo by: Roshini Saravanakumar

"United Way Galveston County Mainland | LIVE UNITED." United Way Galveston
County Mainland. United Way Galveston County Mainland, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Oct.
2014. <http://www.uwgcm.com/>.

The Problem
Students in Texas City are dropping out of high
school in dismaying numbers because of these
reasons:
Lack of finances for college, or other circumstances out of
their control

Whats the point of graduating when I wont be going to

college?

Dont know how

"Search Results for Savings - Images and More." Search Results for Savings - Images and More. Microsoft. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
<http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/business-CM079001906.aspx?qu=savings&ex=1#ai:MP900411794|>.

Drop-Out Rates
8% of African American students
drop out

13% of Hispanic students drop out

4% of White students drop out

"Fast Facts: Dropout Rates." Institution of Education Sciences. U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center
for Education Statistics, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coj.asp >.
"Texas City, Texas." (TX 77590) Profile: Population, Maps, Real Estate, Averages, Homes, Statistics, Relocation, Travel, Jobs, Hospitals, Schools, Crime,
Moving, Houses, News, Sex Offenders. City-Data, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.city-data.com/city/Texas-CityTexas.html>.

Drop-Out Rates (contd.)

1.3 million students drop out of school
every year

Most of them are of color

Around 42% of Hispanics, 43% of

African Americans, 46% of Native

Americans, 17% of Asians, and 22% of
Whites dont graduate on time.

Cardinali, Dan. ""What's in a Name?"" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 5 June 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
Drop-out Rates. http://fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/sc-dropout-rate.jpg

Survey
Students dont intend to drop out, but do so
because of circumstances out of their control

So, shouldnt be blamed, but should be helped.

The most given reasons were abuse,
homelessness, and juvenile detention from
most to least
"Facing the School Dropout Dilemma." Http://www.apa.org. The American Psychological Association, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school-dropout-prevention.aspx>.
http://www.degreefinders.com/assets/images/us-dropout-rate-reasons-why-high-school-kids-drop-out.jpg

Survey Results

Effect on Economy
Taxpayers pay between $320 to 350 billion for
high school dropouts (through lost wages,
taxable income, health care costs, welfare costs,
and prison costs.

High school drop outs earn $200,000 less than

a graduate, and about $1,000,000 less than a
college graduate.
https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/images/tr/ch1/college_earn.jpg
"School Dropout Rates Add To Fiscal Burden." Wertheimer, Linda, and Claudio Sanchez. Weekend Edition
University of Houston. NPR, Houston. 24 July 2011. Web. Transcript.

Sunday.

Effect on Economy (contd.)

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released a
report in 2007 showing that 60% of high school
drop outs were not contributing to the economy.

18-67 year olds who dropped out of high school

made around $25,000 in 2009

4 million kids start ninth grade yearly, but only

75% of them graduate
"School Dropout Rates Add To Fiscal Burden." Wertheimer, Linda, and Claudio Sanchez. Weekend Edition Sunday. University of
Houston. NPR, Houston. 24 July 2011. Web. Transcript.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/mmc-beta-production/assets/384/high_school_626_article.jpg

Why I Chose This Topic

When I visited a high school outside my district to take my SATs, people
talked about dropout rates like it was common to have at least one family
member quit high school.

Coming from a district that doesnt have the problem, I was surprised,
wanted to do something to change this.

Texas City High School

Originally created in 1947, then moved to a
new building

Very mixed reviews of the quality of the

school from parents

Drop- out rate that is higher than other

schools in the surrounding areas
Http://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/01/48/95/59_big.jpg. 2014. Texas City.
"Ratings and Reviews for Texas City High School in Texas City TX - Zillow." Zillow. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.zillow.com/texas-city-tx/schools/texas-city-high-school-77004/>.

Creating Project United Way to Decrease High

School Drop-Out Rates
Website that compiles scholarships and
internships for Texas City students

Uses submissions from local colleges,

businesses, organizations

Includes an interactive chat box so

administrators can help students fill out
forms, etc.
Conference Room where all UWGCM events/ projects are planned
Photo by: Roshini Saravanakumar

Demo of Final Product

www.projectunitedway.weebly.com

Goals
Motivate students to graduate high
school- see opportunities available with a
diploma

Connect them with aid that will secure

their future

Make the website successful enough to

run long after this mentorship is over
"Search Results for Graduation - Images and More." Search Results for Graduation - Images and More. Microsoft. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
<http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/business-CM079001906.aspx?qu=graduation&ex=1#ai:MP900411794|>.

Game Plan
E-Mail sent out to everyone on United Ways
contact list for opportunities

Ms. Lindseys office during Fun Run planning

Photo by: Roshini Saravanakumar

Compile on to website
Make it easy to use for future administrators
Train others to use this website

Draw from Ms. Lindseys expertise

Time-Line
August- September- formulating
ideas, coming up with project

October- asked for submissions,

created website

November- made website,

entered submissions, got it ready
for use
Ms. Lindsey, Mr. Chris, and Ms. Betty
Photo by: UWGCM

Demo of ISM Binder

How I spent the semester

Demo of Weebly Portfolio

What I learned from United Way
www.roshinisaravanakumar.weebly.com

Thoughts at the end of the semester

Learned about how United Way works
Learned marketing techniques
Helped with various United Way
Events (Fun Run, Holiday Events)

Explored marketing careers while

helping United Ways local high school

Philanthropic side of business

Front room of UWGCM

Photo by: Roshini Saravanakumar

Conclusion
Drop-out rates are slowly decreasing,
but not fast enough

With more opportunities and more help,

we can prevent the stigma around dropouts and help them become contributing
members of society

Decreased drop-out rates will improve

the economy for everyone

Born Learning Trail at Rainbow Park

Photo By: UWGCM

Questions?

Staff working on financials of new 2015 campaign

Photo by: Roshini Saravanakumar

Thank You!

Mrs. Kristi Click

7th period ISM

My parents
United Way Staff

Taken at the Texas City Holiday Parade

Photo By: UWGCM Youth Board Member

Works Cited
Cardinali, Dan. ""What's in a Name?"" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 5 June 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
Drop-out Rates. http://fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/sc-dropout-rate.jpg
"Facing the School Dropout Dilemma." Http://www.apa.org. The American Psychological Association, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school-dropout-prevention.aspx>.
"Fast Facts: Dropout Rates." Institution of Education Sciences. U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics, 1
Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coj.asp >.
Http://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/01/48/95/59_big.jpg. 2014. Texas City.
"Ratings and Reviews for Texas City High School in Texas City TX - Zillow." Zillow. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://www.zillow.com/texas-city-tx/schools/texas- city-highschool-77004/>.
"School Dropout Rates Add To Fiscal Burden." Wertheimer, Linda, and Claudio Sanchez. Weekend Edition Sunday. University of Houston. NPR, Houston. 24 July
2011. Web. Transcript.
"Search Results for Graduation - Images and More." Search Results for Graduation - Images and More. Microsoft. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://office.microsoft.com/enus/images/business-CM079001906.aspx?qu=graduation&ex=1#ai:MP900411794|>.
"Search Results for Savings - Images and More." Search Results for Savings - Images and More. Microsoft. Web. 12 Oct. 2014. <http://office.microsoft.com/enus/images/business-CM079001906.aspx?qu=savings&ex=1#ai:MP900411794
"Texas City, Texas." (TX 77590) Profile: Population, Maps, Real Estate, Averages, Homes, Statistics, Relocation, Travel, Jobs, Hospitals, Schools, Crime, Moving, Houses, News,
Offenders. City-Data, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.city-data.com/city/Texas-City-Texas.html>.

Sex

"United Way Galveston County Mainland | LIVE UNITED." United Way Galveston County Mainland. United Way Galveston County Mainland, 1 Jan. 2014. Web.
Oct. 2014. <http://www.uwgcm.com/>.

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