Happy December - Thank you for reading!

Hello MTB Families,

We hope you are having a great start to December! ☃️ Please keep reading to find out about key announcements and upcoming events for this month.

Congratulations to Gabriel and Xavier!

Gabriel and Xavier, both seniors at Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering, have been appointed to the ACT 2026 National Learner Advisory Council. They were selected out of a highly competitive pool of over 350 applicants nationwide.

Gabriel and Xavier joined MTB as high school juniors and are continuing in the program this year, working with their college student leaders.

As members of the Council, Gabriel and Xavier will join a diverse group of individuals ages 16-24 who will share their insights and lived experiences to inform ACT’s programs, research, and outreach. Additionally, they will participate in meetings throughout the school year and receive a $500 stipend for their participation.

MTB Family Full Group Meeting

Our Social Work Interns hosted our first Family Full Group Meeting. Thanks to those parents who were able to join and participate. We loved hearing your thoughts and helping answer your questions.



If you joined and want to share your feedback or if you couldn't join and want to share your thoughts for next time, please click the link below.

Wellness: Applying Bravely and Boldly

At our November Full Group Meeting, students talked with our Social Work Interns about applying boldly, which is scary. But rejection is a necessary part of the process!

Juniors - Professional Interview Presentations

Our juniors presented their takeaways from their professional conversations. Each junior set up an interview and met with a first-generation college graduate.

One junior commented on the experience: "I enjoyed sharing the information that I got when I did my interview. I also really enjoyed hearing from everyone else, and their presentations from the people they interviewed. It was great to see the differences in people and all the great advice that many of their people gave them."



Seniors - Financial Aid

Program Resource Fellows Ashley and Manan led our seniors in a refresher on financial aid. There's a lot to keep in mind, and our students know that they need to apply to a range of schools, submit scholarship applications, pursue opportunities like EOF, read their financial aid award letters carefully, and not accept any offer until they have asked about whether any additional aid is available.

It's a lot! But our High School Fellows have their Leaders to help them!

Stay Connected on WhatsApp

We want to make it easy for families to stay connected and informed. Join our MTB WhatsApp group to receive quick updates and reminders directly to your phone. It's a great way to support your student throughout the year.

Also, we will share the links to the financial literacy sessions so make sure you join by clicking below!

Ask a Question

There's no such thing as a stupid question. Ask anything and everything by going to this form. Don't be shy! Ask a question »

Question: What Have the High School Students Been Working On?

Question: What have the students been working on?

Answer: The Family Conversation

Families, this month, the students were expected to talk with you about their college plans. Juniors had to ask some challenging questions about taxes, finances, and the possibility of going away for college! Seniors had to update their families on their goals.

We hope this family conversation helps our families understand what our students are trying to accomplish and what families can expect in relation to higher education, including finances.

This is a required MTB task!

Coming Soon - Mark Your Calendar!

Our fourth Full Group Meeting is coming up! Students are expected to attend one of these dates:

• Saturday, December 13 | 10:00-11:00am OR
• Sunday, December 14 | 4:00-5:00pm

Attendance is mandatory.

Thank you for being here!

Thank you so much for being part of the MTB community.

-The MTB Team

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