LITERALLY CHANGING LIVES
A priceless college connection for West County juniors and seniors
By Matt Larson
As cliché as “changing lives” may sound, it’s nothing short of
the truth when it comes to the Ivy League Connection (ILC).
Founded in 2005, the ILC has awarded 335 scholarships to date.
On average they spend about $12,000 per student, and have
been the deciding factor for hundreds of students being able
to afford to go to schools like Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia,
University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Yale, Vanderbilt, University
of Chicago, and many more. And the best part? This program
is strictly for students that are enrolled right here in the West
Contra Costa County Unified School District.
“It’s where we live. It’s our community!” said Don Gosney,
who’s currently the one-man-show behind this amazing
operation. “I see kids who really weren’t even thinking about
college much, and next thing you know they’re graduating
from Brown University debt free. We’re changing lives! And we
do that because it’s the right thing to do.”
The ILC in no way influences whether or not a student
gets accepted to any particular college, but what they can do
is get these kids as prepared as can be. “We do have influence
as far as mentoring them, training them, and introducing them
to people that do have influence, whether it’s members of
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the alumni association, or members that are on the board of
trustees for a school, even the admissions officers.”
That kind of one-on-one support is what makes an ILC
scholarship especially beneficial as, according to Gosney, the
local school district doesn’t really have enough guidance
counselors to meet the needs of the population. “When you’ve
got to make an appointment to see your college guidance
counselor and it’s 3-4 weeks to be able to see that person,
what’s that tell you about just how much help you’re going
to get?” he said. The ILC takes the time with their students to
find the school that’s right for them. “We help them with any
school that they apply to,” he said. “Our push has never been
to get them to apply to, or get into, Ivy League schools. It’s to
open up their opportunity so they make an informed decision;
to find that perfect fit.”
Every fall, Gosney goes to West County’s high schools to
make a presentation about preparing for college and explains
what the ILC can offer. The biggest surprise is usually when he
tells the students just how many colleges are out there. “When
I mention to them we’ve got 3,600 universities in the United
States they’re just shocked,” he said. “They’re totally unaware