Dear CollegeTracks Community,

Over 16 years, CollegeTracks has been working with thousands of students, many of them who are black and brown that have been impacted by racism. Like many of us, they may be feeling an increased sense of hopelessness, powerlessness, and anger. They may plan to attend protests and put themselves at increased risk of COVID-19 or getting caught up in unsafe situations. I know this adds an even heavier dimension to the already intense conversations we are having with students during disruptions to their education due to COVID -19.

We are concerned about how our students are processing all of these events as they are transitioning into adulthood and wanted to reach out to them to let them know that we are here for them.

Dear CollegeTracks Students and Families,

It is with a heavy heart that I write this email to you to share my grief and sadness over the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery as well as the events of the past week across our nation.

It is important that we all call out these recent events as something much deeper. They are the culmination of decades of systemic and unrelenting racism since slavery began. These events are rooted in the historical grief that people of color have experienced and that our criminal justice, educational, health care, financial, and housing systems have cemented into the basic foundation of how things work.

CollegeTracks will always stand on the side of our students and their families, empowering your voices. You have what you need to be successful and we are here to help you make it a reality. We are honored to work with you and we treasure you. We believe in you and your ability to build a bright future. We stand with you and we know that you have the resilience to overcome this.

I understand that it is really hard to process all of these events, especially in the context of a pandemic. Our CollegeTracks staff is available to you as you navigate these uncertain times. Our goal is to support you and to help you keep working toward your goals.

With concern and care,

Linda Youngentob (CEO) and the CollegeTracks Team