Phoenix Library expands program to help high school seniors prepare for college
(Courtesy Phoenix Public Library)
Meghan Meyerson, right, an advisor for Phoenix Public Library’s College Depot Program, assists a student as part of the GRIT program, which helps high school seniors apply to and prepare for college.
A Phoenix Public Library program to help high school seniors apply to and prepare for college has made a more than tenfold increase in the number of students it serves in the past year.
The library’s GRIT program — which stands for Graduating Ready, Independent and Tenacious — switched from a more personalized case management model it had used since the program’s inception in 2020 to a broader model meant to be able to help as many students as possible for the 2025-26 school year.
GRIT went from serving 208 students last school year to having more than 2,700 signed up this school year, Judy Reno, director of the library’s College Depot program that oversees GRIT, told the Library Advisory Board during its Wednesday meeting.
GRIT students post sticky notes on a wall.
(Courtesy Phoenix Public Library)
This year, the GRIT program gives students a year’s worth of curriculum at once, highlighting the milestones and action steps they need to achieve every month. Library staff hosts monthly workshops, both in-person and virtually, to walk students through that month’s topic.
Reno mentioned this month’s topics are working on student’s personal statements and their College Scholarship Service profiles. If a student is not applying to any out-of-state schools, however, they do not need to work on the CSS profile.
“It’s more of an a la carte, use-as-you-need type model,” Reno said.
The personalized touch is still there for students who want it. Students who might want extra help can come in for GRIT’s lab hours, which are held every Wednesday and Saturday, in person at the Burton Barr Central Library.
In August, GRIT served 108 students through the labs and the library has gotten “really great feedback from the students,” Reno said.
College Depot launched GRIT during the COVID-19 pandemic when college enrollment numbers were plummeting nationally, Reno said.
“People were having a really hard time dealing with all types of life circumstances, and we felt the need to really provide some in depth case management to help our high school seniors navigate that path,” she said.
Board Member Adam McAnally pointed out that last year when issues with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, were jeopardizing the college prospects for students across the country, Reno and her team met with the U.S. Department of Education and helped beta test the FAFSA application to help make it more accessible to students.
McAnally thanked Reno for her work on the GRIT program in general and for “going above and beyond.”
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Mark Carlisle joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, covering Glendale. He has since moved to the Daily Independent team, primarily covering the city of Phoenix along with other topics affecting the Valley at-large.
Community: Mark enjoys taking his two young sons to parks, the Phoenix Zoo, the Phoenix Public Library and other fun events around the Valley. He also participates in a local book club.
Education: Chapman University with a BA in English Journalism and one in Screenwriting.
Random Fact: Mark worked at a tuxedo shop in college. Just don’t ask him to tie a bowtie.
Hobbies: Spending time with his wife, sons and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.
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